Truth & Voice
by Lushard
Summary: {UNDER TOTAL REVISION}
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

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><p>It was a gloomy night the time Miku Hinasaki closed her hand-book and decided to sleep.<p>

Finishing some info-gathering Rei Kurosawa had tasked her with, Miku leant back on her chair and stretched her aching arms wide. She looked at the table-clock on her table which shown 11 : 42 on its digital screen. Well, staying up late was her on daily routine so why should she complain about it? Rei had been recovering from her past trauma lately, going on many occasions and taking several jobs, and that was a good news.

_It was a month after the Manor of Sleep incident now_, she mused, sighing inwardly.

Yes, after experiencing two weeks full of terror and trouble-sleeping, all the Manor of Sleep victims had returned to their normal lives, including Kei and Mio Amakura who briefly made it out of the nightmare realm. Although those who were already succumb to it, she knew, were never to return.

Miku got up from her seat, taking a black cat who was playing with an origami in her room, into her arms.

"It's bed time, Ruri," she said to the cat who whimpered at her touch.

Ruri was a gift from her deceased mother before she left Miku and her brother to live on their own. Well, maybe it could be called 'another' gift, since the cat wasn't the only thing she inherited from her parent. Her sixth sense, her power, was also a 'gift' from her mother who possessed a great deal of spiritual power. _"It is a power to see things other people can't," _Miku remembered herself saying it to Rei on a certain night. And that short phrase concluded everything in it.

After the incident a month ago, Miku realized that, both her and Rei's sixth sense were not completely gone. It was quite the opposite, actually. Unlike two years ago where her ability to sense and connect with the spiritual world completely vanished without a trace, she now could still sense their presence—and as odd as it might be, sometimes, even their 'feelings'. She had consulted it with Rei and Kei previously, each stating what was on their mind about their unique 'gift'. And from what the two had confessed, she was the only one who could grasp feelings of the deceased.

"_Maybe it happens naturally because you were able to see them from a very young age," _Kei once stated. _"Mafuyu told me about your ability to sense things greatly surpassed his, so I think it's only natural that it reaches the state where you are more sensitive towards them now."_

Miku smiled sadly at the remembrance. She had never wanted this kind of power. Never, even once. She could remember how she had suffered from that 'power' as a child, trying to shut herself so nobody would notice it. But fortunately, she wasn't as vurnurable as when she was a child now. It was true however, that she couldn't really control it well, but at least she could shove them off and shut her sixth sense to prevent things from getting worse. Well, not completely shutting it off though—she could still feel them lurking about—but at least it'd not be so bothersome as it was in her childhood days.

After turning off the main lamp in her room, Miku sat on the side of her bed, pulling off the red comb she inherited from her grandmother form her dark, chesnut hair, leaving the long strands astray. Ruri stroke her stretched hand affectionally before going to sleep herself.

"Godd night," Miku whispered to the cat as she pulled the blanket to cover her body. Although the heater in her room was functioning well, she could still feel the coldness of the air outside. It was Fall, so colder weather during nights were to be expected.

Miku closed her eyes, letting the darkness to calm her mind. She had already forget how tired she was when both she and Rei had severe trouble sleeping during the Manor of Sleep incident, but she couldn't bring herself to care about the past now: she had a future to work on. She had Rei, she had Ruri, and she had the Amakura family as acquintances now. After Mafuyu's death and the car accident, she finally felt that she had a familiy.

At that thought, Miku Hinasaki succumbed into slumber, not knowing what dream that soon would take her into another cruel reality of the unknown world.

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><p>Sun had already set down peacefully at the west horizon when the last airplane from England landed on Japan. Many people with tired looks came out from the plane, each carried luggage they brought from where they came. One of them was, a young man with a short hair. Wearing a black jacket and white shirt inside, his lofty stature quickly gained attention, mainly from the ladies. That was to be expected, since his hair was in the colour of silver. Well, it was originally whitish blonde, but it looked much more like silver since the colour was so thin, leaving only small shade of darker light.<p>

The young man had a complexion of a young Englishman combined with East Asian features. The sunglassess he wore hid a pair of dark blue orbs which glanced from one side to another, seeking a certain someone who might be his clue.

"Are you, by any chance, the acquintance of Mr. Shikigane?"

A young lady, clad in a waitress' outfit, greeted him. The young man stood silently for some seconds before nodding in reply.

"He's been waiting for you," the young woman gestured at a hallway which had a 'Staff Only' mark on the side of the entrance. "Please do follow me."

The two walked through the hallway with many doors until they reached the end of the corridor. A large door was there, leading to the Director's room it seemed. "Director Miyama," the woman called as she knocked on the door, "Your guest have arrived."

A rough voice of a middle-aged man rang from the room. "Let him enter."

The young woman opened the door to the sumptuous room, gesturing the young man to enter as well. The room, although a bit dark because the lack of lit lights in it, was spacious and rounded with rich-decorated bookshelves. A desk was stood on its center, a figure was sitting behind it with its back facing the two.

"You may leave," the man gave a hand-sign to the woman as he turned to face his guest. He was a middle-aged man with a muscular complexion. His jaw was covered with layers of beard and his black hair was arranged in a low ponytail, leaving no bangs on his forehead.

As soon as the woman left the room, the Director fixed his glance at the figure before him. "Have a seat," he said while waving his hand to an empty seat in front of him. The young man took off his sunglasses and sat down.

"I'm sorry for calling you so suddenly," the Director said as he bowed his head slightly. "I'm glad that you've arrived safe and sound."

"I don't mind," the young man replied, his sharp-angular face refused to show any emotion. "I'm quite eager to see what my homeland looks like anyway."

The Director laughed at his last remark. "Yes, yes, enjoy your time as you stay here. I've prepared everything for you. You'll be staying at my apartmen, suite room of course—But that aside," he interrupted himself. "Down to business; I'll be asking you to do your usual stuff," he staid with a stern look on his face.

The young man raised his eyebrow and shrugged. "It's my job. I shall accept everything you task me with as long as it goes with the agreement we've both agreed."

"Of course: 'no murder and no thievery'—I remember that. Well, I believe you're a proffesional despite your young age; my concern of this job has nothing to do with your work, yes?"

"I don't question people who hire me fairly," was his reply.

The Director nodded approvingly, grinning as he did so. "I can see that you've been through hard times. Tell me, magi, how old are you now?"

"I have no birthdate. but if you want an exact count based on years alone, I should be arround twenty by now."

"I see you're used to fake identities, boy." He then handed the young man an envelope and a disc. "Everything you have to do is contained in that disc, including my personal number and people who may be your acquintances in the near future. I shall leave your identity to yourself, but everything else other than that shall be under my control. Do we agree?"

The silver-haired man nodded.

"Good. So, magi, have you encountered a 'fallen spirit' before?"

"...Several times."

Director Miyama smiled darkly at his reply. "Then you surely now how dangerous they are. I'm sure you're already aware, but fallen spirits are the kind of spirits who have transformed into another... form, and attacked living creatures without consent. There are an increase in accidents caused by them in these last few months—it's as if their awakening is triggered by something. Of course, normal people only say logical things about their evil deeds." A cloud crossed over the Director's face as he folded his hands on the table. He then lifted up his face and stared right into the young man's unreadable blue eyes. "I need you to find the source of this breaking chaos and deal with it."

"I shall try my best. Mind you, I'm not the type to give promises, but I shall try to eliminate the root of this madness as you requested."

"Good," he nodded, more to himself. "By the way, what should I call you from now on? Since you'd be a member of the Shikigane clan for this job, I need not your surname anymore. And keep calling you 'magi boy' doesn't count either," he added lightly.

"My usual pattern of agreement that the hirer would grant me a name... But if you'd kindly let me decide, you can call me Rolve."

"Well then, Rolve," he said as he leant back on his chair, "you're free to leave. The driver's waiting for you, and he will take you to the apartmen. You can call me if you ever need anything. I'm a generous man. You also have a gift from me waiting at the basement, ready to use." Director Miyama then held out a car key from his pocket, handing it to the young magi who accepted it without a word.

"I'll be counting on you," the Director added before Rolve left the room. "The whole Japan will."

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><p><strong>AN : **My third project based on Fatal Frame 3 alternate ending. And to be noted, unlike the game's time setting, I'll be using my own setting as any fiction would be. My choice of the setting is the year of 2007, so please don't get confused at the use of modern electronic devices which I'll be using in this fiction.

As usual, reviews are MUCH appreciated :)


	2. A Beckoning Voice

**1. ****A Beckoning Voice**

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><p><em>It's calling...<em>

There was nothing to be seen. There was no space, no gravity, no life. A complete darkness was all there it was.

_A voice...__?_

After a long one minute, a wavering light was forming itself in the form of a newly lit fire, shading the darkness with its frail light.

_Who is it__...?_

Then a spark of red light begun to form in sight, covering the previous one with its touch.

_Whose voice is it ...? __Who's calling me?_

Another light, this time in the colour of the ocean, merged with the red strings, creating another form of dancing fire, its glow slowly brightening in the dim darkness.

_Where... where am I__...? Is this—?_

As soon as the two colour merged into one, it slowly formed a thin layer of dust, which then moved towards her in a speed of light, crashing to her mind.

A figure—presumably a boy at the age of ten or eleven—emerged from the mix of colours. The boy was standing before a large prison cell where all of his surroundings were engulfed in darkness and reddish light. His clothes were tattered, and scars and wounds were visible on his body. His small hands were covered in blood, and since his back was facing the point of view the scene was taking, his face was unknown. Just when he was about to turn arround, the scene quickly changed.

This time, a luxurious room was being set as the background of the new scene. A little girl with long, blonde hair, clothed in white was lying on the floor, her face was squirked downwards and could not be seen. Blood was spilling from her chest like a flowing river which soon covered the jade carpet she was laid on in the colour of deep red. Then the door in the room blasted open.

Before anything could be seen, the scene had already turned to show a furious man on sight. The man—his face was unclear since blood was covering almost half of his head—was screaming in agony as a black, giant spider-like creature slashed his throat open with its bladed-leg.

_What is this...?_

Then more scenes were played.

Blood stains on the wall, engraved humans were hung on a dark corridor, an unknown figure standing still before a mountain of corpses... A series of shouting and screaming were audible as well, completing the chaos. All of these scenes were playing like a broken movie in her mind, each was stained by a blur or dark-reddish gleam of light, preventing her from getting a complete view of the scenes.

_Stop it...!_

When it seemed like the movie was about to increase its pace, the darkness, once again, engulfed everything in emptyness by a mere second. Then a voice, so low and vague it was like a whisper, rang throughout the dark realm.

"Come."

At that, Miku Hinasaki woke up.

* * *

><p>"You don't look so well. Did you overstudy again?"<p>

A girl with long black hair tied in a high ponytail was speaking to her friend in their classroom. Miku had tried her best not to look as if she was about to fall any time, but it seemed that even a shower couldn't hide her pale looks.

Finding herself out of breath and drenched in sweat after having a strange dream—if it wasn't a nightmare for worse—Miku had stayed awake during the night, waiting for morning to come since she couldn't bring herself to succumb into the realm of dreams anymore. She had only been sleeping for about three hours, and that did tire her. She was sure she didn't overwork nor thinking too hard about things, let alone suffering from another stress or depression, so why such a strange dream all of a sudden? It didn't even show the scenes from the Manor of Sleep incident... Nor from the Rope Mansion.

Confused as she may be, she could remember most part of the dream: the images which change briefly after one scene had passed, followed by the screams and a series shouting which then succumbed into darkness. But what puzzled her the most was the voice.

"_Come," _she could still feel the voice ringing in her mind.

That voice, although as vague as a mist could be, was the clearest phrase she could grasp from the dream. While everything else was a blur or simply being set too fast to be observed, the voice was as clear as the sun in a cloudless sky. She also couldn't tell whether it was a man's or a woman's. But one thing was clear: it was not a good experience. All that happened inside the dream was too real to be felt. It was just like in her days when she, and several other victims, were being lured into the Manor of Sleep. The only difference was, this time, she couldn't move or react on her own. She could only watch everything the dream offered without any option given.

Rei Kurosawa had commented on her pale looks since this morning, stating that she had been studying to hard and neglect her own duty to keep her body healthy. But since Miku simply made stories to cover it up by saying that she had some assignments she should finish before today's class, Rei finally gave up. She did feel bad for lying, but she didn't want Rei to find out about the dream and made her worry, and thus delaying her recovery. The improvement Rei had made after the Manor of Sleep incident was something assuring and Miku certainly didn't want to ruin the progress.

Sure: she was dizzy and her mind was hazy, but she refused to skip class just because of a single dream. No matter how strange the dream was, it could still be caused by simple reasons such as fatigue and her own dark memories. After all, she had encountered life and death 'adventure' normal people would not believe, and even more than once. As a plus, she had gone through many ordeals connected with spiritual matter as a teen, and got quite used to it. She was no stranger to tragedy, as her father mysteriously went missing on assignment, and she was the one to discover her mother's hanging corpse in the back of their garden… She couldn't blame her memories nor her sixth sense for that, could she now?

After finishing their breakfast, Rei had taken Miku to her college by car and then went to work herself, noting that she should rest more after she hit home.

"_You're the one who told me not 'to work too hard', so watch it," _Miku remembered her co-worker's concerned statement as she dropped her off.

Rei had always been a caring senior although sometimes, she could be reluctant to show her kindness for others. Miku had always been thankful to her—for her kindness, for letting her to continue living at the house, even after the car incident. True, it was Yuu Asou's idea to take her in after she lost Mafuyu two years ago, but Rei had also played a great role in Miku's personality change. She had been supporting her recovery and treated the young Hinasaki as a little sister, caring greatly for the introverted girl. It was because of the two that Miku could put her past before her. Eversince that time she always wore a smile to bury all the dark past of hers.

As thankful as she was, on the other hand, Miku had always thought herself as a bother until Yuu's death which occured months ago. Understanding how it feels of losing a dear one, she had been the one who did all the chores in Rei's house, taking care of a seemingly distant Rei until she decided to move on with her life. It was not an easy decision, but the two promised to live on so their dearest ones could live through them.

"You should avoid staying up late. For your own sake," the girl was saying as she seated herself beside Miku. She rolled her eyes when her friend only smiled in return. "And how many times have I repeat this phrase again?"

"I'm fine, Yuuka," Miku stated.

Yuuka eyed her for a full one minute before sighing in defeat. "You didn't change at all; stubborn as always. You can't even give a convincing smile with that tired face of yours. Okay, okay, I give up; you and your nocturnal activities aside, have you heard about the news?" Her face turned more serious when Miku only shook her head in reply. "They said that an old tavern located in a nearby district was found in a mess this morning—its owner is reported to be missing."

"'In a mess'? What do you mean?"

"I watched it on TV just after the news was out—they found the tavern in a horrible condition. And also, there was some blood stain on the floor." Yuuka's hazel eyes looked grave at the mention of the word 'blood'. "It doesn't seem like a normal case of murder or thievery to me, but since the owner hasn't been found yet, the news said nothing about the details of the case."

Miku tilted her head to one side as she pondered. "Maybe some drunkards did it?"

"Maybe. A kidnapping is all it seems to me, though. But that doesn't really fit the situation—why should they mess the place up just to kidnap a middle-aged man from his house? Neighboring people also didn't state anything unusual during the night."

When the two fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts, a young male student clad in black clothing entered the classroom. All eyes immediately turned on him.

_A new student, perhaps_, Miku thought.

The young man was quite tall in features compared to any male student in the class, and his hair was in a colour of whitish blonde it almost fell to the colour of silver. He was no doubt, a half, since his complexion was a mix from both East Asian and Western. Some girls had already begun whispering to one another, stating how charming the new student was.

"A foreigner?" Miku asked her friend in a low voice as the new student seated himself in a row below them.

"Maybe. Can't see his face."

Before the class could speculate any further, a woman at the age of fourties entered the classroom. Every student seated themselves, preparing for their morning class at journalism.

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><p><strong>AN: **Thank you for reading this fic! I'm sorry for the short chapter, but this chapter is only a portal to the real plot-I hope you can bear with me. Please note that I'm using Fatal Frame Wiki and my own in-game experience as the basis for this fiction. People who are not familiar with the games might as well as check the wiki or the cameraslens.

As usual, reviews are MUCH appreciated!


	3. A Chance Meeting

**2.**** A Chance Meeting**

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><p>Rolve had gotten quite popular arround campus in just two days. Girls would turn to stare at him admiringly whenever he passed by, some even had gone through a more challanging 'ordeal' by sending him letters. Of course, he trashed all of them. Living a life of a student in a foreign land sure was annoying for someone like him. But living in Japan did have its benefits. One of them was primary because the nature of his hair colour. Although his rare hair colour had always been the first to be noticed by people, here in Japan, it didn't attract so many unnecessary attention. Why, there were many people who dyed their hair in a much attractive colors, even arranging them in a way that would make him wonder about their sanity.<p>

During his brief stay at Japan, what annoyed him the most was the mispronounciation of his first name. Since most Japanese people couldn't spell the letters of 'l' and 'v' quite well, his first name was kinda hard for them to be correctly spelled. But the good side was, due to some Japanese tradition, people would always call his family name, with a '-san' added to it. He had studied their culture before going here in person, but he still couldn't bring himself to get used to it, often causing him caught unaware when somebody called him. And, as oddly as it may be, some girls found that fact actually kinda 'cute'... For heavens' sake, he could never understand their logic.

His work, as being requested by his hirer, would soon begin as soon as he received some data he needed to make the first move.

"_Other than that," _Director Miyama stated in the disc given to him the day he arrived, _"you are free to explore the vast nature of their misdeeds, even eliminating them. You are free to seek information on your own and act as Magi on duty. Everything comes with two conditions: report everything you find to me, and never let more victims of the Fallen increase before your eyes."_

_Fallen Spirits, huh, _he mused darkly as he turned on his car's engine. Even in Europe, the case of encountering a Fallen One was rare, and thus, leaving him a bit clueless about things. True, he had encountered them on several occasions—and briefly survived—but the data he could gather about them was at a minimum level. And since only a small number of magi successfully returned after encountering those dangerous foes, many theories had been made based on each survivor's statement.

Rolve cursed himself for letting his mind work on something that he hadn't been sure of. Those theories and speculations aside, he was driving to the location where a human was reported missing just recently. Although it might be not a work-related business, he felt something was off if he were to let the case to be handled by normal people who were not even aware of magi's existence.

The silver-haired young man smiled bitterly on the thoughts. Many fictional professions had been made based on their existence: such as exorcists and ghost hunters, but none of them hit the real thing. It was quite ironic, he thought, that people simply live their peaceful lives without noticing the ones who worked behind their assurance of 'peace'.

After a long thirthy minutes, Rolve finally reached the place. The tavern, which was reported to be in a horrible condition due to an unknown cause, was located in a small district which was kinda far from the city. Grabbing his black leather jacket, he got out from his car, glancing arround the district which seemed more quiet after the incident. The road leading to the tavern was blocked by police's line marks although he could spot some news reporters and journalists trying to barge in.

Rolve eyed the sky for some seconds. It was a cloudy afternoon with autumn breeze carrying fallen leaves could be felt. If he were to barge through the lines unnoticed, then the weather was just perfect; a bit dark and gloomy.

He walked arround the district, entering a small road which had nobody lurking arround. Finishing with analyzing the surrounding area, he then proceeded to the site where the 'incident' happened. Crowds had gathered there, trying to interview the guards or neighboring people, digging as many clues or stories as they could find. He was only some feet before the mark lines, and had already gotten a good view of the place. From outside, the place seemed lifeless with its walls and windows crushed. A small garden on the entrance too was in a mess.

He wondered of many dark creatures capable of doing such massive damage, and nothing came to his mind. It was nothing like a Banshee's doing—no, Banshee would never crush a place by going this far—and it wasn't Ghouls' either. From the list of spiritual beings humans had thought impossible to exist, Rolve made a count of a possible number who could deal such a damage. His experience as a magi who had wondered in England proved to be useful in tracing spiritual beings. But it didn't count today. Since the damage on the building was large—with no footsteps or hints left—he could not be so sure of himself.

Rolve tried to pass the crowd, positioning himself behind the guards' range of sights. He had been granted a police identity from the Director to make his access easier, but he never really liked using it. If he could stay hidden in the darkness, that was enough for him to observe. But since he would pass more guards inside the tavern, he decided to use it anyway.

He walked to the tavern's main door, just to be stopped by some police guards there. Showing his ID as a special agent, they let him in in a mere second. But before he could take a peek inside the old building, he saw a familiar face among the reporters and journalists who were busy digging information outside.

A girl arround his age with a dark, chesnut hair tangled in a comb was standing before the marks. She was wearing a white jacket and a red shirt beneath it. Her dark skirt and reddish stocking matched her figure well. Rolve immediately recognized her as his fellow classmate.

Since the girl saw him first—a surpirse look was visible on her face—Rolve didn't have any choice than to greet her.

He walked to where the girl stood, and said to the police guarding the lines, "Would you please let her in? She's a friend of mine."

Both the police and the girl looked quite surprised for a moment. But after checking his ID, he quickly obeyed without question.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Shiki-san," the girl said after they reached a safe distance from the crowd. "Oh, I should first thank you for letting me in." She gave a small bow to Rolve who nodded in reply.

"I'm sorry, I know we've been in the same class more than once, but I haven't memorized everyone's name yet"

"Oh, it's allright," she quickly said, a smile was on her face. "My name's Miku Hinasaki. I work as an assitant photographer after school's time over."

"Is that why you're here?"

"Yes. I came here to gather some info about the incident by request."

"Then I guess I'm pretty much the same."

"I never knew you work after school too," Miku stated, looking up to the young man who was a head taller than her.

"Of course. Well, personal schedule aside, why don't we enter the tavern and see what it's like inside?"

The two then entered the tavern through a large hole on the wall since the door was not in a condition to be used. And the condition inside was exactly like what those news reporters had stated before: messy and horrible. Bloodstain was still visible on the floor, and almost nothing left unwracked. It was as if the place had been used as a military drill. Most of the walls were scratched while most of the things were in pieces. It was just as he had thought... A single glance over the broken tavern was all he needed as a proof that this was not the work of humans.

Strangely enough, he couldn't feel any resonance from the place as it used to be. Those spirits, whether they were merely vengeful ghosts or had already succumbed into 'The Fallen Ones', usually leave trails of disturbing aura as a mark of their presence. But this time, Rolve wasn't able to detect any strange phenomenon left by the culprit(s). One of many possibilities was because even he had a good sense of his surroundings, he was never the one to analyze the spiritual realm. It was simply out of his reach—as a person or as a magi. True, he could sense them better than any non-magi through training and experience, but even a magi could be born without a strong sixth sense just like him. To be exact, only a _few _peopledoes possess this kind of extra sense, even in the circle of magi, and he was out of the list.

"The word 'terrible' fits the place just fine, don't you think?"

A low, hoarse voice emerged from hole which they had used to enter the tavern. The two quickly turned round to see the one who had suddenly appeared behind them. The figure turned out to be a big, muscular a man with police officer badge on his gray coat. His face was clean shaven, and he should be arround fifty by appearance.

"You're the kid who was assigned to our ranks recently," he stated, pointing his cigarette to Rolve. The younger man and the girl quickly greeted him with a small bow, though Rolve noticed that Miku had thrown a bewildered glance towards him due to the statement. The police officer waved his hand. "Nah, no need for formalities. The name's Masaki Seijiro. You're that Shikigane kid, aren't ya?"

"I am," Rolve replied.

"And this is...?"

"A fellow classmate who also studies journalism with me."

Miku then introduced herself, which was approved by Seijiro's nod. "Heh... As you can see, this case is almost closed since no hints nor clues could be digged at." He pointed his thumb, which held the cigarette, at the view. "What in the world do you think are capable of crushing a place this big in a single night anyway?"

Rolve smiled inwardly at the question which wasn't meant to be answered. "Who could have known? There are many possibilities in this world," he said while walking to a wrecked bar and bent to his knee. "Has the police asked arround? What do the people say about this 'incident'?"

"Those people don't know a damn thing," Seijiro grunted while huffing some rings of smoke. "We've searched for clues night and day, but no clues could be found. The owner of this tavern doesn't have any relatives and he lived alone in this old, damped, place."

"I heard that no one had felt anything unusual during the night this incident happened," Miku added. She was, undoubtedly, memorizing every detail from the conversation. _Such was a journalist's behaviour_, Rolve said to himself non-audibly.

"Unfortunately, that rumor's true, lil' girl," Seijiro chuckled sardonically, more to himself. "And that's precisely why this case hasn't gone anywhere! For Tengu's sake, I've never met a case so strange as this is."

Miku flinched a little at the mention of the demon's name, but Seijiro went on. "If I recall correctly, some case similar to this one have been found a month ago in Osaka... They said that an old temple was found in a horrible condition without any witness of what truly happened."

Rolve got up to his feet before asking, "Were there any victims? Lost ones, perhaps, like what happened in this case?"

"I don't know for sure, but I _did _hear that some monks have been reported missing after the incident. Why don't you play over to our place and dig for yourself?"

Rolve raised an eyebrow. "I'm allowed to do so?"

"You're a bearer of that special ID, boy: we are not in the position to restrict your movements."

"Then I'll be sure to drop by." And just before Seijiro was about to leave, Rolve noticed that his cover was at stake if he didn't do something about the girl who was still glancing silently at the Officer's back. "Might as well as bringing a friend with me," is what he added, much to Miku's surprise. "Is that fine?"

Seijiro turned to see Miku before grinning mischievously. "Yeah, that's fine." He then walked off, muttering something about "Teens these days..." and went out of sight.

"Is it really fine for me to come?" Miku asked her companion when they trailed Seijiro out of the tavern. A mixture of enthusiasm and doubt in her soft voice was clear to Rolve's sensitive ears.

"I's fine. It'll be boring by myself anyway," he lied, refusing to meet her gaze as they continued to walk. "You need this for your 'job', don't you?"

"Thank you, Shiki-san. It means a lot to me," she politely replied, smiling.

The two got out from the location and found that the clouds were already darkened, a signal for raindrops to fall. "I believe we should part ways then," Rolve said while turning to the place where his car was parked.

Miku nodded. "I thank you for today. See you in class." She then walked to and vanished when she turned to a corner on the road.

Rolve simply stood motionless there for some seconds, only gazing at where the girl had dissapeared. He was sure that Miku had fallen unusually silent as soon as they hit the tavern's indoors. He even noticed how disturbed she seemed inside there. Well, it may only be natural for people to feel anxious in a location where bloodstain was still visible, but still... Her reaction was a bit strange if she were only suffering from a fear of blood.

While thinking, Rolve walked to his car in silence, letting the cold breeze of autumn to refresh his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN : **Phew... Took a while to write this. Comment on their 'first' meeting is greatly appreciated since I'm being careful not to make my OC a Gary Stu. O~kay, I'll be back to my RO fic for a while since I'm eager to write a battle scene (Lol).

Your reviews are the source of my inspiration and energy :)


	4. Partners

**3.**** Partners**

* * *

><p>"So you're saying that this incident is not 'normal'?"<p>

Rei and Kei were both listening to Miku's story of what happened that gloomy afternoon. They were sitting in Rei's living room with Miku sat on a couch facing the two. Darkness had engulfed outside, and although it wasn't raining, the atmosphere in the house was tense.

Actually, Miku had hesitated to tell what she felt about the incident. But after deciding that she couldn't hide the facts from her companion, she told Rei about it, which then leading the older woman to invite Kei to their house as well.

"What else did you feel when you were there?" Kei asked, obviously intrigued by Miku's story. He had always a grasp of enthusiasm in this kind of field which reminded Miku of her lost brother. Now she finally understood why those three, with Yuu included, were the best of friends. She could even still remember the way her brother had spoken about his friends, noting how enthusiastic he was to have people with same interest as his.

The youngest Hinasaki shifted uncomfortably, her hand rubbed the other anxiously. She never liked telling others what her sixth sense had let her feel and see. Or it was more like, she wasn't _used_ to. "I couldn't completely grasp it, but I did feel that something was not right... It was just like when I first entered the Himuro Mansion—The Rope Mansion—years ago."

"So you're suggesting that this is some vengeful spirit's doing?" Once again, Kei was the one who bombarded her with questions.

Miku nodded. "Since the malicious aura I sensed wasn't the owner's, then yes."

"So it's possible that the owner's still alive, then," Rei stated after a pause.

"Interesting." Kei clapped his hands altogether. "If what you say is true, than there's nothing the police can do about this case. But since we haven't gone there in person, I can't be too sure of the owner's survival." He gave a bitter smile before adding, "Me going there probably wouldn't help much anyway, since my sixth sense is not as strong as you two... But I'll try to look into the matter."

"Please do," Rei said to Kei. She then turned to face Miku, her gaze intensified. "But that man you spoke of... I still don't see the reason why you should trust him."

"Shiki-san, you mean? He said that he was doing a job of his own."

"But still... He's a stranger," Rei insisted. "And I certainly don't like the way he invited you to come with him... It's just too strange, considering the fact you two just spoke to each other."

"How about him, then?" Kei asked. "Did that Shikigane you mentioned also noticed something strange going there?"

Miku pondered for a while while tilting her head to one side. "Come to think of it... He was calm and didn't show any expression nontheless. My guess is, he's used to investigating cases like this. The police officer even stated that he was assigned as a special member recently."

"He's actually part of the police?" Kei asked, once again, intrigued by the fact that there was a college student who also worked as a member of police.

"I'm not sure since I've never talked to him before," Miku admitted. "Well, to be exact, none of the students in college get to really know him. He never really talked to anyone, and he refused to be a member of any club despite the flooding invitations. All we know that he's a half English, half Japanese who just moved to Japan recently for some unknown reason. No students even know his family background."

"That's the more reason why we shouldn't trust him," Rei said, her tone flattened. "We never know what his true intention is."

"I see your point, Rei. But," Kei rubbed his chin while thinking, "for the time being, I think that he's the only lead in this case. Look, the media hasn't gone anywhere and there are no clues to be find. If, by any chance, Miku could find something by accepting his invitation, then why should we prevent her from going?"

"What if he doesn't mean what he said?" She retorted. After a minute passed by with Rei's rising composure, she sighed and finally calmed down. "My point is... he could be just trying to be polite and friendly. And we don't even know this guy so well to put our trust on him."

"I think it's fine, Rei-san," Miku spoke up, trying to settle the argument. If there was something in Rei's mind, she thought, it could only be _her_ safety. Ever since Rei recovered from her trauma, she had grown more protective towards her housemate, which may be caused by the fear of losing someone precious for the second time. Rei had, after all, almost lost her too when she decided to pursue the dead further into the Manor. Miku had cursed herself for her stupidity and selfishness. She even went to the point where she apologized to Rei for trying to 'abandon' her. But the older woman was strong, she meant what she stated to go on living and accepted her apology.

Miku went on. "I don't see any reason why he'd lie to me, nor the reason why I should turn down the invitation. After all, we might find some clues by going to Seijiro-san's office."

Rei was about to object Miku's last remark when a cell's ringtone disturbed their discussion. It was Miku's cell phone.

"Excuse me," she said as she held out her cell from her pocket.

It was a text message from an unknown number. But when she scrolled down, a name turned out to be written on the very end of the message. Miku smiled darkly at the hint.

"From a friend?" Kei asked upon reading Miku's face.

She nodded, her face paled a bit. "From someone we've been talking about for a while. It's from _him_."

* * *

><p>The text message was clear and quite to the point. It informed her of the time when the young half was planning to pay Seijiro a visit. Upon agreeing, he called her in the late evening so they could arrange to meet up on Saturday morning.<p>

Rei was still against the idea, but she gave finally up after Miku and Kei tried to assure her that nothing would happen. Miku, on the other hand, had no idea whatsoever about how the case would turn out. But if this case was truly related with some spiritual beings, then she knew she'd felt bad if she were to let it happen for the second time, which may lead to the fall of many more victims. Two years ago, she definitely wouldn't let herself to sniff on a case like this. But she had changed. And so had her life. She knew the pain of losing someone precious. She knew the loss. She knew the grief. And she knew she didn't want anyone to fall victims to such tragedy anymore.

And that feeling was supported by one thing she was quite aware of: that there was something _she _could probabbly do to solve this case. She and her power, that is.

Clad in her white jacket, Miku was sitting on a bench in a small park, with her handbook opened on her lap. Fallen leaves and autumn breeze were only some of the season's unique ways of coloring the world. She had always loved how the trees turned reddish orange, leaving some shade of golden threads behind_. "Look at the leaves parting their ways from their branches, Miku," _her mother had said once. She was still a little, bashful girl back then. _"Should you come to understand the way nature works, you shall see many things which were invisible at first. Learn how the autumn leaves dance amongst the trees, and surely you shall grasp the way life is leading you."_

Studying any possibilties on how this case could be linked to previous cases on these last few months, Miku was taken aback when a familiar, masculine voice, rang from her back.

"It's still fifteen minutes before nine."

"Shiki-san," she quikcly stood and turned round to greet him, placing her handbook in her bag as she did so.

He was in his usual black leather jacket with a bottle neck gray shirt underneath. Despite being stood out from people of his gender because of his height and body features, his stance remained stern, as if expecting someone—or 'something', in this case—to jump at him.

"My car's parked outside," he gestured the way out of the park with a slight movement of his head. Miku nodded and followed him wordlessly.

A black sedan was parked on the side of the road. Miku couldn't tell its brand since it seemed to be from outside of Japan. But one thing for sure, it wasn't a car you usually see driven by a college student. Especially in a country like Japan.

After Rolve started the car's engine, the two were completely mute at first. Instrumental music was the only sound that filled the car as the silver haired man drove to the police office. Miku knew that the man wasn't the type to strike a conversation without a bait, so she tried.

"Did you," she started out, "notice anything strange about the case, Shiki-san?"

Rolve was silent for some seconds before a small smile—if it wasn't supposed to be a smirk instead—tugged at his lips, the first expression she saw on his pale, unreadable face. "It depends on what you mean by 'strange'," he said, his tone was as flat as ever. "It seems that you are bothered by something."

Miku looked away from him, her usual bright, calm face darkened. The man was sharp, and she knew that he was either trying to return the gesture or trying to dig some infromation out of her. "I am. And that's why I come with you today. I thought that this case is simply too odd—a place wrecked that bad in a single night isn't something you can find in newspaper everyday. More so in Japan, where people other than police officers are forbidden to carry guns."

"Is that your sense as a journalist telling you? Or simply your mind ringing a bell of alert?"

Miku let a small chuckle escape her lips. "Maybe both. What about you, then? I'm sure you've done your own data-gathering in these past few days."

"I have," Rolve admitted, his eyes didn't leave the road for a bare second. "And our visit today would confirm whether my analysis is true or not."

"May I know what have you come up with?"

"I've only found out that this case," he said as he eyed her from the corner of his eyes, "is linked to similar cases that has happened throughout your country for these past few months. Such is my thought. But since I have no proof to support the theory, why don't we keep our thoughts to ourselves for the moment?"

"Sure thing," she replied, much to Rolve's surprise.

"I thought you were more presistent than that."

Miku smiled. "People _do_ say I'm stubborn, though. But I know not to press matters further when I'm not wanted to. Besides, unproven theories are nothing but hte roots of rumors."

"Quite a journalist you are," commented Rolve who was smiling slightly in return.

Upon realizing the melting tension, she playfully asked, "May I take that as a compliment?"

"Go ahead. Just be careful not to let yourself slip on such comment in the future."

"Don't worry, cockiness is what I detest the most anyway."

After that, the two quickly caught up in a warm conversation, talking mostly about journalism and Rolve's progress in cultural adapting. Miku let out a relieved sigh inwardly, thanking the gods for the fact that the man wasn't as cold and anti-social as she had tought.

* * *

><p><strong>AN : **Finally, moving to the real plot! (How much have I say this in A/N anyway...) Since I'm a noob at writing short stories, my fics are guaranteed to have more than 20 chapters... I hope you guys can bear with me :'(

I'd like to hear your opinion about a good length of a chapter should be since I'm kinda clueless about it. R&R if you're interested. As usual, reviews ARE greatly appreciated! XD


	5. Alliance

**4. Alliance**

* * *

><p>Upon arriving at the Seijiro's office, Rolve and Miku had been greeted warmly by the big, middle-aged police officer. It seemed that Seijiro had been informed about the young magi by his hirer, a neccessary move in order to broaden his access towards Japan Police Corp.<p>

"This is the room where we keep all documents that's not leaked to public," Seijiro said under his breath.

They were standing in front a large bunker in the underground level. Rolve noticed that only an emergency stair and a small lift were the only things usable to access this level. Seijiro then took out a card from his pocket and swiped it on a small monitor attached on the wall. As soon as a recognition warning appeared, the heavy metalic door swung open.

"Consider yourself threatened, Miss Hinasaki," he said in a low voice before the two entered the room. The two stopped and looked at the officer. His face was serious, and they knew he wasn't joking around as usual this time. He eyed Miku for some seconds. "Your access towards the area is guaranteed today only because of _his_ presence here. And to be noted, you are certainly _not _to leak any information to outsiders. Should we receive information about any leak of our 'secret documents' in any public media, you would be the first person we are going to interrogate. Do we understand each other here, lil' lady?"

Miku gave the officer a nod, her face was calm despite the verbal threats hinted to her.

Before going into the building, Rolve had warned her about the dangers of pursuing the facts—considering that she was a normal citizen with no police ID whatsoever. In this case, however, Rolve permitted her to stick along with him with one condition: play the role he had tasked her with. Rolve had made up some stories about their mutual relationship to Seijiro. Job-related, of course.

"Good," muttered Seijiro. He then walked in, leading the two into a vast, white room with computers and shelves arranged in a circle. There were not many people there; only a few serious-looking officers who were busy with stacks of paper and digital data. Few of them were even foreigners by looks. After nodding to Seijiro, they continued to work whatever tasks they were working on, showing no interest in the strangers' presence in the secluded room.

Seijiro sat on a chair facing a computer nearby and typed something on the keyboard. "Look at this," he said. The monitor turned green before it supplied the curious eyes with a dissorted image. The photo's resolution was a bit low despite there was something like a shadow on the right side of the image. "This is the photo our intel managed to get before the media does. And of course, it hasn't been leaked to the outside world yet."

Rolve and Miku were both analyzing the image on screen with their heads quirked forward, each were trying to get a clearer view of the photo displayed. Miku realized that, up in the left corner of the image, there was a date and time written. It was the day when the tavern was supposed to be 'attacked' and crushed to what it was now.

"It was taken during the night the owner went missing," Seijiro informed them. "We took this image from his cellphone that was found buried on the ruin. Lucky us, the cell wasn't too badly damaged when we found it lying on the floor."

"It looked like that it was taken in a hurry," Rolve commented with his eyes still glued on the monitor.

"It is. And as you can see here," he pointed on a blurry shadow caught in the shot, "there was something unusual about this shadow. The size was kinda huge, compared to the wine shelf on the background, but the blurry image prevent us from getting a clearer view on what it actually is. Considering that it was moving the time camera captured it, it should be either an animal or something close to that."

Miku chose to stay mute for some seconds before finally stating her opinion. "The picture was taken when the lights were already off, which means that the owner wasn't expecting someone or something to come, I deduce."

Seijiro nodded. "We've come to that conclusion as well. It was possible that the attacker woke him up from his sleep in a not-very-friendly manner, which shocked him greatly."

"And then he tried to capture his attacker's image with his cell?" Asked Rolve.

"Most likely." Seijiro then closed the image and handed Rolve a disc he grabbed from the table. "The data about that night is in this disc. I hope you can find something we haven't."

Miku watched in bewilderment as the officer passed the disc to her companion. Noticing the look on her face, Seijiro added, "I was asked by my supervisor to hand it to him personally. It seems that the higher-ups are expecting great things from you, Shikigane," he said while throwing a curious glance over his shoulders. "I wonder what accomplishment you have made back in England."

"Nothing special," Rolve replied. "I'll be sure to let you know if anything happens."

"We too are expecting much from you."

* * *

><p>After their brief stay at the underground base, Miku and Rolve were back to the upper ground via lift. When the two finally back in Rolve's car, Miku—mustering her courage—asked what had been intrigued her ever since they met.<p>

"You're not a normal college student, aren't you?"

Rolve started the engine without looking at her. His face didn't show any emotion and remained calm, undisturbed by his companion's stern tone. "What if I am?"

"I'm sorry for sounding a bit answer-demanding, but is your transfer to Japan connected to this case somehow?"

"It is. I'm simply asked by the one who hired me to solve the mystery of strange cases, just like this one."

She fought down suspicion. "_Hired_?"

Rolve drove the car out of the parking area while turning on the tape. "You can say that I'm a freelance investigator although not precisely a detective. Do me a favor, Hinasaki: stop asking what should not be asked. Who knows, it might cost you your life. Didn't Seijiro warn you before—that we are already in a dangerous case that normal people are not aware of?"

Miku eyed Rolve for a full one minute, bewilderment and nervousness were both etched on her face. "What do you mean?"

"The time you agreed to put your nose in this case was the time you initially putting your life on the line." Rolve paused for a moment, as if trying to search for the right words. Then in a lower voice, he asked, "You _do_ sense that something is not right about the case, right?"

Miku stiffened on her seat, her eyes were full of disbelief. "You—don't tell me you know about—"

"You having extra sense?" He cut in. "I noticed it during our little talk in that tavern."

"How can you—I mean, how did you find out about it?"

"Easy. Your reaction told me many things. It might escape normal people's eyes, but never mine. I've spent years encountering _them _too, you know."

"You have a sixth sense too?" Miku asked, completely taken aback by the fact that there was someone besides her mother and brother who noticed her 'power'. Maybe it was a clear sight when she was a child, but she had adapted to society and learned to hide it from the world. How could this man just—

"I do," Rolve said, unbothered by the fact that he was admitting his extraordinary gift so casually. "Although mine is not as strong as yours."

At that remark, Miku fell silent. She had never encountered someone who also possessed an extra sense apart from Rei and Mio Amakura. And worse, much to her suspicion, the guy here was actually admitting it in front of someone he had barely knew! "You stated that you've encountered 'them' for years," Miku chose her words more carefully now, her eyes not leaving him a bare second, waiting for a hint of expression to appear on his placid face.

"That's true."

"And you have the means of surviving their madness?"

A small smile formed on his lips. "We don't merely survive; we _defeat _them."

"But how?" Miku asked, once again, her tone was firm. She had never felt this furious for a long time.

"I'm afraid that's none of your business, Hinasaki."

Miku was about to utter more questions but she realized that the man's last remark was meant to be a threat. _Calm down, _she thought to herself, trying to regain her composure. She exhaled deeply and let her body relax just a bit. It was no use to get all confused and hyped up; the man clearly was aware that she would ask about something like this soon, which would only mean that he wasn't trying to hide who he was for too long. And from his collected manner upon the question, Miku thought that there _was_ a chance that he even _wanted _her to ask in person. It that was the case then fine, she thought. She could play along.

"Why did you let me in on the case?" She finally asked, her calm demeanor was back.

"You know the answer."

This time, she uttered a statement instead of questions: "You want me to detect things you're not able to with your 'sense'."

"I'm glad you're intellegent enough not to jump out from this car."

"It's not really a deal, is it?"

Rolve shook his head, his expression amused although no smiles were visible. "I'm not that cruel, you know. You do have an option to back away. I'd pretend that our encounter on that day never happened and, in return, you'd promise me to forget about this case."

Her eyes narrowed in thought, but never leaving the man's face. "And what of the other option?"

"I would introduce you to my supervisor and seek his order." He looked at her. "But the highest chance is that you'd be my 'ally' in solving this case."

"And to make sure that I won't leak anything..."

"You are sharp; so why don't you use your imagination?" Put in Rolve.

A distant look a came into Miku's brown eyes. Fatigue attacked her all of a sudden. "Fair offer of choice," she finally commented after sighing inwardly.

A tense minute passed before Rolve added, "Of course, should you come to aid our cause in solving the case, rewards would be prepared immediately. Consider it as your salary."

"It's not money that I seek," she quickly said, a bit angered. Turnig her eyes to look at his, she asked, "Tell me, will more victims fall if this case remained unsolved?"

"Now you're sounding like a child making sure her parents got what she asked. From my point of view, the answer is yes. You've seen the news—cases like these have bloomed everywhere throughout Japan in the past few months. And if we couldn't find the roots of this phenomenon, it is guaranteed that more victims would fall."

"_Spirited away_, you mean?"

"I see you've done a research on your own. But unfortunately, I won't leak any crucial information to you unless you agree to help."

Miku had pretty much guessed such answer, but what she had seen disturbed her, and no matter how frightening the thought of encountering vengeful spirits haunted her, she had laid an interest in the case. "Fine then. I'm in," she finally said.

Rolve examined her expression for some seconds before asking, "You're sure? I've warned you how dangerous this job is."

"You did say earlier that I'd be your ally, right? And you also said that you have the means of defeating 'them'..."

At that, Rolve laughed. To be honest, it was one of many things she had thought impossible for the man to do. "You're quite something," he stated, shooking his head, strangely amused by her remark. "But yes, your guess is right. You'd be partnered up with me on every field research so I could guarantee your safety, and that solves one problem." His expression then turned to normal: calm and collected. "But mind you, I'm not a super bodyguard either. There could be times when your life may be at stake."

"Isn't it already was from the start? I'm simply trying to do whatever I'm meant to do."

"_Meant to do_, huh? I do wonder about that phrase sometimes, and you thought things through pretty fast despite the situation... but let's just forget it. You've agreed to help and there's no backing away once the job really starts." He gave Miku a look that said, _'If you want to reconsider, now's the time.'_

"You've heard me, Shiki-san. I may not know what dangers waiting ahead of this job, but I just don't want to sit and do nothing while there is something I can do about things."

She then looked outside of the window and noticed that the car was going to the direction of Kurosawa Residence. She quickly threw a glance at Rolve who was only looking back at her, his eyes flickered in what you may call a child's naught. She faintly sighed, audibly this time. "And since when you knew my address?"

He shrugged. "Since I've found out what extraordinary 'gift' you possess."

The car stopped exactly in front of Rei's house. Clouds were already hung on the sky when they arrived. Miku put off the seatbelt but refused to get out of the car yet. She stared at Rolve for a while before saying, "You haven't told me who you are."

"I haven't? Well, I'll just send some e-mails later, then."

Silence.

"That doesn't satisfy you? Don't worry, I'll tell you whatever you need to know in there."

Still, the same silence.

Rolve sighed. "We'll soon be partners, Hinasaki. You can ask me whatever things you want and I'll answer them as long as they're job-concerned."

At that, Miku gave a faint nod and got out of the car. She watched silently as Rolve's car went out of sight. Shooking her head, she walked towards the door, thinking what stories she should make up to cover her new 'job'. But that Shikigane and the job could wait. For now, she just wanted to relax at her room. It had been years since she hadn't felt this angry and confused at the same time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN : **I got a bit hooked up in writing this chapter, mainly because of Miku. It's a bit hard to determine her actions and words of choice in fiction due to her personality. Well, once again, if you guys are having trouble with the characters' background, simply google them (I recommend Fatal Frame Wiki though). And good news to Fatal Frame lovers: Mio will soon make her appearance on this fic! So, keep reading, guys!

As usual, your reviews are the source of my strength and motivation :)


	6. A Visit

**5.**** A Visit**

* * *

><p>Spending the rest of the evening working on assignments, Miku literally collapsed as soon as she hit her bed. Confusion and anger had consumed her energy so it left her dizzy. It was a good thing Rei realized her rare-to-be-seen bad mood and left her alone—which made her grateful for not having to make up some stories about what had actually happened.<p>

Of course. There was that Shikigane. And there was this 'job'.

How in the world was she supposed to say about those? And then what about her 'cover' Rolve mentioned about? How would they cover her new 'assignment' now? With more lies? More fake IDs? And what about some explanation he owed her? No mails had been sent in these past few hours.

Going through a dreamless dream, Miku found her head protested against the few hours of sleeping. But she was not in the mood to rest—nor could she bring herself to anyway. She couldn't stop thinking about things and those things angered her for some reasons she didn't want to ponder. Rolve Shikigane. She would do anything to obtain info she needed about him.

It was Sunday morning, and she got up from her bed to prepare breakfast for Rei. Since her schedule told her to visit Mio Amakura—who was still hospitalized—today, she could just buy some food there. Actually that wasn't really the main reason she skipped breakfast: she had lost her appetite, that was why. Rei, who understood her housemate's mood, chose to stay silent during her meal. After her breakfast, Rei took Miku by car to the hospital, stating that she was going to see her client and could take her along the way.

"Hinasaki-san," some nurses greeted her on her way to Mio's room. "Are you going to visit Amakura-san today?"

She tried her best to smile and then greeted back. "I am. How's her condition?"

"That child... She has shown a remarkable recovery!" The oldest nurse stated with a smile. "It seems that she has gotten over her trauma already. The doctors even say that she is allowed to go into the garden now, much to her uncle's plea, actually."

"It is a good thing, then. Is she awake yet?"

"Yes, we just went by to her room. Please do visit."

Miku bowed slightly and trailed her way to a VIP room where Mio was in. Kei made sure to hold some visitors from seeing her until her mental and psychal health had recovered. After a long one month of rehabilitation, Kei and the doctors finally approved visitors, including Miku and Rei. He introduced them to Mio, who was still very weak at that time. Looking back at how frail she was a month ago, Miku had to be thankful for the fact that she was in a much better condition now. Sure, the girl was broken—losing a twin is, they say, like losing a part of your soul—but she had recovered overtime.

Miku had tried her best supporting the younger girl—just like she did when Rei was grieving for Yuu. And since she too had lost a relative, she knew how much Mio had been through. And that fact was the the thing that made her the only person Mio could really open up to-maybe it was because Mio had noticed that Miku was a kindered spirit. Upon seing this, Kei had asked her to look after Mio, a request which she gladly accepted.

Once she arrived at Mio's door, she knocked and entered the room, finding the short-haired girl sitting on her bed with a book laying open on her lap.

"Miku-san," she greeted her, a smile immediately bloomed on her face.

"How's it, Mio? I heard you are allowed to go outside now," she said while taking her jacket off and seating herself beside Mio's bed.

"Yes, they say that I should practice to walk more often. Is Rei-san not with you today?"

"No, she's busy attending a meeting with her new client, but that aside, how do you feel now?"

"Much better." She smiled. "Although my body still feel a bit numb and heavy, I'm already able to do simple things on my own now. I want to regain my senses quickly, I don't want uncle to wory about me too much."

"Keep it up, then. Your uncle will surely throw a celebration as soon as you're out of the hospital," she playfully said.

Mio let out a chuckle. "Well, he has always been like that." Mio eyed Miku for a while before a concerned look came into her bworn eyes. "Miku-san, you look a bit pale today. Did you eat and sleep well?"

"Do I, now?" She quickly lighten her mood and fixed her expression. "Then that must be because of various assignments given by teachers. I guess it's mainly because my lack of sleep."

"Uncle told me you're assisting Rei-san on her job too. That must be quite tiring, I figure."

"Not really if you like what you're doing," she replied, this time with a genuine smile blooming on her lips. "Rei-san had taught me various things about photography and now, I enjoy it as much as she does. It's quite refreshing, actually."

"Is it? Maybe you can show me a thing or two once I'm discharged."

From that point on, the two then talked about various things: Mio's recovery, hobbies, and all things they could talk about except of Mayu. Miku knew Mio was still wounded by what happened, and so, she avoided asking her about what had truly happened to her twin in the past. She wasn't ready to discuss the matter, and Miku respected her privacy by avoiding the subject.

Before the could converse for too long, a nurse came into the room for Mio's daily medical check-up. "Oh, and Hinasaki-san," she turned around to see Miku, "I think you have a _friend_ waiting for you outside."

Miku raised her eyebrow. "I didn't make any appointment to—wait—is he—"

"I never knew you're into foreigners." The nurse playfully winked at her. Miku's heart skipped a beat.

_Him._

"Is he your boyfriend?" Mio asked, curiosity and interest could be seen sparked in her eyes.

"No." Miku quickly stood up, grabbing her bag and jacket before making her way to the door. "I'll visit you again soon, Mio," she managed to add before going out from the room, which was approved by Mio's nod.

Miku quickly shut the door, only to find a familiar figure was leaning against the wall in the hospital corridor with his hands folded on his chest.

"You."

"You're sooner than I expected," was his reply despite how much venom was spat from the 'greeting'.

As usual, the young man's face was covered in a placid mask that didn't let anyone see through his thoughts. Miku stared at him for a long time, which was returned by Rolve. If glares could kill, he would've died. But since they couldn't, he simply stared back at her with a teasing look that said, 'Is there anything you want to say?'

"What do you want?" She coldly asked, unmoving from where whe stood.

"Nothing much."

"Why do you have to stalk me?"

"I don't stalk living humans," he replied, his tone, although flat, sounded like a mockery to Miku's ears. But she refused to back away.

Trying to control her anger, Miku asked impatiently, "So, what's your intention? Why are you here?" She could swear that if this wasn't a hospital, she would have shouted.

"Pure coincidence. I had some business in this hospital and I saw you walking in here."

Miku stayed mute. Her eyes never leaving the man's face.

"I don't expect you to belive me, but that's the truth. I don't lie, human."

"You're sounding as if you're not one."

"No. I'm not completely human. And you will know much more than that if you do follow me." He trailed the way leading to a lift on the floor. Miku followed him while keeping a safe distance from Rolve while walking.

"Someone wants to see you and he's working as a doctor here," he explained as they took a lift to the seventh floor. There were only the two of them in the lift, and Miku was begining to feel uneasy of being alone with the young man. It seemed taht he didn't mind being glared all the time, though. "You can say that he's my supervisor while working in your country," he went on. "He will explain to you many things you are questioning right now."

After they arrived on the seventh floor, Rolve led the way to a doctor's office located in the hospital's wing. A name board was hung on the white door with 'Ryoji Masamura' written on it. Rolve knocked on the door before a reply came from the room.

"Come in."

Following his guide, Miku entered the spacious office to see a middle-aged man sitting on a couch in the center of the room. A lead doctor in this hospital he seemed to be, judging from his white coat and office. His features were Japanese, and he wore a thick glassess that made him look much older. His short black hair was neatly arranged, leaving no bangs on his forehead—a total opposite from Rolve whom, she thoght, didn't even bother combing his hair after sleeping. Upon noticing her presence, the man smiled at her. "Please seat yourself, Miss Hinasaki. I've heard a lot about you from Rolve."

Miku seated herself on a couch facing the man's, a table was separating the two. Her head was filled with questions and uncertainties, but she didn't want to let herself look any nervous in front of these strangers.

"I'll take my leave, then," said Rolve as he went back to the opened door. The doctor nodded at him before he shut it tight. He then returned his attention to Miku, who seemed a bit bewildered by her companion's leave.

"This way, you can be more at ease, no?"

She nodded slowly, although she didn't feel any assured. The man may looked friendly and warm on the outside, but it didn't mean that she just could lower her guard around him, especially since he was associated with that Shikigane.

"You can just call me 'Ryoji'," he said, his tone was calm and assuring. A gentle smile never leaving his face. "You must be wondering about many things right now, Miss Hinasaki. And that's precisely why you're here right now—we will tell you anything you need to know about your upcoming 'job'."

"Then, Ryoji-san," she said carefully, "If I may know, who—_what_—is Shiki-san? He told me about him and his 'kind' being able to 'defeat' malicious spirits and not completely humans..."

"A ha!" Ryoji clapped his hands in excitement. "A good start! Yes, yes, _what_ are they, huh? It seems our discussion won't be so boring with a sharp girl like you listening to this old man's story. Alright, then we shall start with that question: what exactly is a _Magi_."

Miku listened patiently.

"A Magi, or a magician, is an extraordinary human with power to sense things that escape humans' senses in general. But it doesn't end at that. People with extra sense like you and Rolve, are actually just the seeds of Magi. Since you possess a sixth sense too, you must surely know what horror these unfriendly spirits bring to earth everyday. Before I go further into the story, can I assume that you're with me so far?"

"So basically, Magi is a human whose senses are above humans in general who is then trained to defeat malicious spirits?"

"Quite close to the truth!" He exclaimed happily. "But that's not the complete answer. Magus, the plural of Magi, are people whose senses are sharpened _and _develop a strong compactibility with certain sacred things. If a seed of Magi can't occur a resonance with a 'weapon', he or she won't be elected as a Magi."

"_Weapon_?"

"Surely you know a thing or two about some certain weapons that are able to 'defeat' vengeful spirits, no?"

Miku chose to stay silent—not wanting to give the man a bait that she knew the existence of a certain camera.

"These weapons," Ryoji continued, "are nothing special if one does not possess the ability to use it to its fullest. Take an example of a research conducted by a Japanese researcher named Kunihiko Aso—"

Miku's heart almost jumped out from her chest upon hearing the name of the Camera Obscura's inventor.

"—who created a special 'weapon' in a battle against the spirits. People with no sixth sense or a weak one surely won't be able to operate the weapon well. And it's the same for our invented weapons back in Europe. The difference are only the materials and the shape, actually."

"Materials?"

"Yes. In Europe, we use sacred stones to make 'weapons' for Magus."

Ryoji then went on, explaining things about how Magus work and all the privilleges they got while staying active on duty. He also stated that every Magi had to cast their former identity aside, making them basically 'nobodies' in this world. When they had finished a job in one country, they shall be given new orders along with a new identity. So to put it simply, Rolve's transfer to Japan was already well arranged by the 'Senate' and his hirer, including the name and Ids he bore now.

The doctor also told her that Rolve would protect her while she did her job. All she had to do was stick along with him on his investigation on strange cases like the one occured some days ago—which would surely trigger her sense should anything supernatural was in the air. After all, Rolve was, like he himself had stated before, didn't possess a strong sixth sense as she did. But when she was about to utter more questions regarding her 'partner', Ryoji cut her in by saying: "That has to wait. For now, that's all the information we can offer to you."

_Such precaution, _she mused, a bit dissapointed.

Ryoji got up to his feet. He grabbed something from his desk—which turned out to be a disc—and then handed it to Miku. "What's this?" She asked as she received it.

"It contains some data you may need. Oh, and be sure not to leak it to anyone," he added with a smile. _It was supposed to be a threat_, Miku gave a mental note to herself. "You can come again if you ever need anything. The rest of the information is in that disc, and you can ask Rolve by yourself from now on."

She nodded and got up from the couch, ready to leave. But when she was about to close the door, Ryoji said, "Take this as a piece of advice: be sure not to let him pull some tricks on you. The lad, although may look cold and unfriendly as he is, can be quite a teaser at times."

Miku smiled and took in the advice as she closed the door, muttering a 'thank you' as she left. She smiled inwardly upon recalling her last conversation with him in the car. Teaser, huh?

_As if I don't know._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN : **I'm sorry for this messy-written chapter! I was suffering a severe writer's block (yeah, our nemesis)! I promise, next chapter won't end like this one! *bows*_

_And thank you for your reviews, pals! __Those things are the only things that keep me going! And as for the readers who haven't reviewed yet, please keep in mind that I have no special rules or regulations of what a 'review' should be like a certain perfectionist group of people who only approve a certain degree of review! Just state whatever you have on your mind about the fic; I'll be more than happy to read them! XD_

_Once again, thank you for sticking with me, guys! You're all the best!_


	7. Confusion

**6. Confusion**

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><p>What should the world beyond reality be like? Should it be something close to place we call 'heaven'? Or maybe should it be like 'hell' instead? Or is there anything there at all?<p>

_The voice…_

Humans have pondered about life beyond reality for many years, questioning the existence of places they call 'hell' and 'heaven'. But for Miku, such question lost its meaning all to quickly the time she entered another border of reality called the spiritual realm.

_Could it be that it was leading me…?_

She couldn't remember when was the first time she encountered them—whose existence is beyond any logic and explanation. All could she remember was the intense feeling of fear and confusion that attacked her. It didn't matter what or who they were, all she wanted to do was to run away. No, it wasn't their looks that frighten her; it was their feelings. Sure, she wasn't really aware of their feelings until the Manor of Sleep incident occurred, but now that it stirred her, she wasn't so sure she could keep her sanity any longer should her power keep growing. Vengeful ghosts' attacks were nothing compared to their confused minds that haunted her. After all, their unanswered questions and plea for help were things that she couldn't resist from conquering her mind.

_I can hear it…_

But here, in this vas space that filled with darkness and nothingness, all those fears and feelings meant nothing.

_Where…?_

Just like the last time—which was her first—the world, or it was more like everything, was void. There was no space, no gravity, no life. And what was worse, she couldn't even sense her own body. It was as if she was being taken into a mere form that had no freedom over control of herself.

_Is this—?_

Once again, a form of glowing strings in the color of bright red appeared. But the pattern was different this time. Well, the strings still danced slowly like before, but it was just… different. It could be the movements, it could be the shades, or it could be something that was completely different from what she saw nights ago. Then another layers of strings appeared. This time the color changed to a deeper red with yellow shades gleamed on its strings. The two layers of strings created another form of lights as they merged together.

_What are they trying to show me…?_

After what it seemed to be minutes in reality, the layers were now complete. An image was being shown from the mixture of colors. A hooded boy, presumably at the age of ten to twelve, was running in the midst of heavy rain. His legs carried him deeper into the woods as he grasped for air, his right hand holding his left arm which moved awkwardly at his side, as if it was broken. Miku, who saw only his back as he ran through the woods, didn't get to see the boy's face. Before long, a howl was heard and the boy stopped running, looking around in panick before what seemed to be wolf—in size of a bear—jumped out and attacked him from his left.

The scene changed. This time, a group of people was seen circling a strange creature with many eyes, their weapons directed at the creature. Then more images were flashed into her mind. A girl in white clothing was drenched in blood with a knife plunged into her frail body. Some people screaming in agony as a group of big, black skinned, wolves rampaged out of hunger.

More blood was spilled. More screams were audible.

_Stop…!_

As if they were taunted by her non-audible plea, more blurry images struck her mind. None, though, was sharp enough for her to grasp.

_Stop it…!_

Then everything swallowed, once again, by the absolute darkness. And after a long silence, came the voice.

"_Hear me."_

Miku then woke up, almost literally jumped out of her bed. Tears and sweat were, once again, drenched all over her face and body.

It was that dream again.

She tried to calm herself, trying to breathe normally as she closed her eyes. But it took longer than she expected to wash away the overflowing feeling. She could taste the bitterness of fear. There was malice in the air and it reminded her too much of what she had been through in her life.

Trying to shove the dizziness that tangled on her mind, Miku shook her head and massaged her forehead. It was a Monday morning, and in some minutes, the sun would show up—a sign for her to start the day. Ruri, her cat, whimpered and lingered around her feet, as if trying to offer some comfort to its owner with its touch. Miku smiled and stroke her in the back. "Thank you," she murmured. "But I'm fine now."

Telling herself that she had still one full day to go through, Miku got up and prepared for today.

* * *

><p>"Ri~ght. So what did you do last night?"<p>

As usual, the ever strict Yuuka was cornering Miku with her questions and statements, which she often considered to be sarcastic at times. But Miku was always thankful for her genuine concern for her. Because if it hadn't for her and Rei she couldn't have imagined how her life would be.

"I know you lied to me," she stated, this time, looking away from her friend as they walked through the busy hallway.

Miku stayed mute.

"It's fine with me as long as you're checking your health every now and then," she continued. She knew that Miku's silence was meant to be a confession of truth and she accepted it. "You can keep to yourself matters that you think I shouldn't know of, but there's one condition—"she turned to face Miku and stared deeply into the dark brown eyes. "—don't lie to me."

Miku nodded, trying to make her face as blank as possible. She felt bad for lying although she wanted to share the burden with people who might understood her. But those nightmares aside, she couldn't just tell Yuuka that she volunteered to do this strange, yet dangerous, 'job' with a man whom she didn't even know so well, could she now?

"It's a promise, then," Yuuka commented, her stern face turned back to normal.

They got out of the campus and found that the weather was a bit gloomy. Cold breeze swept some fallen leaves, making the two shivered as chillness ran through their bodies. They didn't protest, though; it had always been like this when Autumn was about to proceed. Before Miku was about to walk out the campus gate, her cell phone vibrated. Yuuka waited for her in front of the gate as she held out the phone.

She almost dropped the cell phone when she saw the contactor's name on the screen. It was him. What was it could he be wanting now?

Telling herself to calm down, Miku pressed the 'Answer' button and waited for him to speak first, reluctant to even greet the Magi.

"You've got some free time?" The familiar voice rang.

Miku checked her wrist watch, her mood darkened. "Yes."

"Good. Meet me at the usual park now. I'll be waiting in my car there."

"Who was it?" Yuuka casually asked when Miku put her cell phone back on her bag.

"A friend of mine who told me go see him." She didn't want to tell her the truth since it would only raise suspicion if Yuuka knew that she was to meet the newly transfer student. It didn't seem right to let a person with no ties to the spiritual realm know too much of what was going on. And she refused to let Yuuka endangered by knowing the facts without having the power nor the ability to 'survive'.

Yuuka threw her a bewildered look, her furrows deep in thought. "A _male_?" She pressed the word so hard it made Miku flinch. "Never knew you have a boyfriend."

"Don't worry, he's not," she spat, clearly irritated just by the thought of it. And since when he even rose in rank to be a 'friend' of hers? "I have some business with him and please, I promise I'll tell you about it later, but not now; he's waiting for me."

Yuuka was sharp and on alert, Miku knew she would never be able to fool her. But since she had promised her not to lie ever again, Yuuka accepted her reason and let her go. "I won't dig my nose into the matter, then. For now, at least."

"Thank you."

With that, Miku hurriedly walked to a bus stop and got inside the newly arrived bus. She could hear her heart battering in her chest as she waited for the bus to arrive at the next stop. What did he want? Was it really the right idea to come and see him? More importantly, did she really make the right choice by saying yes to his offer. But after spending a full ten minutes calculating all the possibilities and choices offered to her with clutched knuckles, she cursed herself for letting her mind wonder too far from reality. Panicking won't help, she thought to herself.

After a while the bus finally stopped at a stop where the park was only a short walk away. Miku quickly went out from the bus, almost tripped on the way, and then walked to where Rolve's car was parked. It was a clear sight from where she stood: a black sedan was parked on the side of the road, waiting patiently for her to come. She hesitantly walked towards it and knocked the window which had an unusual dark resolution which reminded her of a police car. The shadow of its owner gestured her to get inside the car. She did as she was told.

"What is it?" She asked after she seated herself beside the silver haired man.

Miku caught him staring at her for some seconds before replying, "Work."

She stayed silent, waiting for the man to explain further. It wasn't listed in her books to be cold towards people, especially when they were working together, but she felt an urge to slam her head to the nearest wall if she were to have the Magi pull more tricks on her. Let alone the bitter taste of humiliation of being noted as an idiot on his eyes.

"Don't be so nervous like that, it's not like I'm going to attack you or do anything harmful," Rolve murmured after noticing his companion's alerted gaze. "Though still, you'll need wariness like that once the job starts, so I guess I won't complain about it. Just stay on your guard and do as I say. You'll surely stay alive."

Rolve started the car's engine and drove it. "We're heading to the tavern," he informed her as she got her seatbelt on. "Some clues might be still inside those ruins. There's no hard thing for you to do—just stand there and activate your 'sense'."

"Is that all I have to do?"

"One more thing, actually," he said without turning his attention to his listener, his expression unchanging. "Try not to get killed so soon. I'll be the one in trouble should you die on your first 'mission'."

Miku tried her best not to let her voice tremble in annoyance and said, "I'll try to." She then sighed warily and looked at Rolve with a tired look. "And will you stop being so sarcastic all the time? You said it yourself: we'll be partners from now on. And I certainly don't want to tire myself before I even manage to complete my first 'assignment'."

If Miku had expected some sort of approval, then the sweet imagination failed her. Instead of taking those words in, the young man smiled as his expression turned dark. He didn't utter any words though.

"Why do you keep treating me like an unnecessary burden all the time?" She exclaimed, her temperature rising up fast, her hands clenched on her lap. "Wasn't it your own idea of making me aiding you in this case?"

Rolve kept silent, his expression unreadable. Miku was always one of calm demeanor and people often praised her for that. But now, in front of this man, all that calmness was shattered. Why, of course she had every reason to be angry! This man hid too many things from her; things she swore she had the right to now as his 'partner'. And—oh, how she hated to say this—this man was just too underestimating! His attitude… His pattern of speech… His amused gaze at her confusion… Every inch of his stature indicated arrogance and rudeness!

"Is kindness," Rolve finally replied in a low, cold voice, "what you're expecting every person you meet to show you?" There was no mockery in his tone, but she could easily grasped some irony and—though she wasn't really sure about this one—veiled sadness behind the words. "If you were a Magi," he continued without even stealing a glance at her, "you would' have died a countless of times."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Again, I'm sorry for the messy-written chapter. And not to mention that it was a bit shorter than the previous ones too. But please do bear with me... :'(

And yes, White Dragon, I'll continue my Dynasty Warriors fanfiction right away, so just be patient for a while, 'kay? D

As I've stated before, I'm currently suffering a writer's block. And a severe one... But I'm trying to shove it now! Hopefully I'll be able to get it over soon and write more chapters (especially for my DW and RO fics. I've been receiving letters of update-urging every now and then from both stories' reviewers).

Last but not least: dear reviewers... as usual, thank you for your support, guys! I certainly won't be able to do much without you! XD


	8. The First Step

**7. The First Step**

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><p>The travel went in heavy silence. Gray clouds, which hung low and dark by the afternoon sky, fit Miku's mood perfectly.<p>

For better or worse, she was really confused. Angry she might be, but all the more confused than before. Everything the man told her was what playing in her mind now, words flickered in mockery and accusations. The truth, which seemed to be distant and blurred by the shadows of unknown strings, was something she was certain that the man hid farther than his identity. She knew nothing about him except for the fact that he was an active member of Circle of the Magi founded in the West. She didn't even know where he was born or what was his true intention—coming merely to serve his hirer? No, she wouldn't believe such a lie. There must be something else, she thought, something far more precious or even personal for the arrogant youth to lay his feet on Japan.

But if her instinct and sense were true, what then? Should she just sit patiently and obediently do as the man says—like a good dog would obey its master?

She was patient, that much was clear, but far from stupid. Rolve seemed to realize this fact although never missing a moment to launch some sarcastic comments in every occasion. Why, she wonder, must he be so sarcastic all the time. She had noticed that he treated others nice and fairly, playing the silent-and-straight foward-guy role in front of people, with Seijiro and Ryoji included. And wasn't he the one who said that they'd be allies in solving this case? Would he bleed in attempt to show her even the tiniest hint of respect?

Sighing inwardly, she massaged her forehead, feeling dumb for even thinking about him. Her attention should be elsewhere, she told herself. Yes, the usual approach, the simplest one, would be her only choice: play along, observe, and act accordingly. There was no need for her to speculate further than the facts laid; she only needed to gather _more _facts in order to find the truth.

"We've arrived."

Rolve's statement brought her back to reality. Miku turned to see the tavern through the window and found it in the same state as she remembered it from days ago: ruined, and sealed with yellow signs preventing curious eyes from getting in.

"Wouldn't it be suspicious if we just get inside and strolled down the ruins?" She returned her glance to Rolve, who was parking the car as she spoke.

If Miku was expecting more insult or bitter answers, her walls of defense stood unassaulted. His face was back to his favorite mask: cold, expressionless, and sharp. She caught no hints of mockery or anything similar when he simply said, "That problem has been attended."

Getting out from the car, the two walked into the back of the tavern, hands in pockets in attempt to block the cold weather from freezing them. Rolve turned at the forked route to take another road which had some people walking about at the time. They slowed down their pace to blend in, glancing around like curious tourists should be. In spite of the darkened noon, Rolve was wearing sunglasses, a smart choice of fashion to assure people that he was just another foreigner on holiday. She knew her role was to be much of an 'escort', so she walked with her back two steps from the silver-hair. Rolve had already told her about the back entrance he found when he scouted the area in his previous research, and Miku was walking towards it, hoping that this first investigation would reward her with some facts she needed.

"I see you've done this several times," Rolve commented, his voice was low and emotionless.

Miku glanced over her shoulder while walking. "Do what?"

"Blending in the crowds, investigating, and all the spying stuff."

"Leading a journalist's life can teach you many things," she admitted, her voice barren with emotion. "Though I dislike being spied on." The man must have realized this fact from studying her body language closely. Her back shuddered with the thoughts that something that was not completely human—as he had self-claimed before—was walking closely behind her, perhaps observing every little move her body suggested.

"It's not a hobby either," he said with a shrug. "I'm just used at observing people. Let some escape your sight and senses and who knows, you could be a dead meat afterwards. Taking a precaution doesn't hurt, even when you are living a commoner's peaceful life."

Miku was about to say 'And showing more respect doesn't kill you either' but she remained silent. In this game of words and wits, showing anger sometimes only worsen your position. Biting her lower lip, she simply walked and watched pedestrians passed by them. Some, mostly girls, looked to her companion and giggled, the older ones simply stole a glance or two as they walked by the tall foreigner. Some others, though, didn't even bother to look at them at all since curious eyes were still fixed on the ruined tavern as their feet carried them to their destinations. Miku's mind rang a bell indicating that people's curiosity hadn't died despite the lack of news in media. Swallowing hard, she increased her pace. Rolve adjusted his speed behind her.

After five minutes walking, they finally arrived at the back of the tavern. A small gate was the only entrance visible, and there were two police guards standing nearby, guarding it. Rolve stepped forward to show his ID and assured them that they were sent to the place on behalf of Officer Seijiro, tasked to investigate the closed area in hope of finding more clues. The guards nodded upon checking Rolve's ID and stepped aside, much to Miku's relief.

"Like I've told you before," he said when they were walking across a backyard garden, "all you have to do is 'sense' anything that might escape human's limited access towards the spirit realm. Look for any clues: sound, sight, memories, or even resonance that might occur as your sixth sense trigger."

Miku maintained a composed look on her face in spite that she had already conscious of her hammering heart's beating. Rolve took her silence as a gesture that she understood him and went to open a broken door which was already split in two, as if something heavy was hit to the middle of the wooden plank. An uncomfortable creaking sound washed away the grim silence, followed by their footsteps on the broken wooden floor. As soon as they were inside, Miku felt that the air was beginning to feel heavier and fouler than before. She remembered this ominous feeling: how the dull silence was only disturbed by some creaking sound of wooden planks, how her surroundings seemed only to get darker and darker… She remembered the terror now, from both the Rope Mansion and the Manor of Sleep. Her head ached upon the remembrance.

They arrived at the main hall now, where the bar used to stand with round tables and chairs arranged neatly across the room. But the sight was no more.

Miku and Rolve stood beside a broken counter, facing the center of the room that was in a mess. Dim sunlight was their only aid in seeing, for the some of the windows had broken and the stained wall had holes everywhere. Miku tried her best to focus, gathering her mind and recalling how to 'activate' her sixth sense. It was a trick she learned when she was forced to enter her first adventure in the Rope Mansion, and it had its uses. She sometimes would do this in front of closed doors before opening them to ensure that no malicious spirits were inside the rooms she was about to enter. Since some of them were smart enough to wait for her—or even lurk her if necessary—she had to learn how to read their moves. And sure though, the skill came in handy, mostly was to tell vengeful spirits apart from vanishing ones—the kind that would only pass by without attempting to harm living humans.

"How is it?" Rolve asked after some minutes standing still, eying her perhaps.

Miku opened her eyes slowly and tried harder to focus her mind. She tilted her head slowly to one side as she spoke. "I can sense some trails of vengeful ones here… But it was hard to tell where the resonance came from."

"Plural?"

Miku nodded. "Yes, not just one. But sensing from trails of existence alone, it's hard to tell."

"What usually aids you in this?"

"Objects," she replied almost right away. Her memory then shot some images of familiar things she had found across while uncovering the secrets of both mansions. Masks, mirrors, stones... "I mean, coming into contact with something that has previously connected to them might cause a resonance or even realization."

Rolve nodded in understanding, his eyes seemed distant. "Memories," he whispered.

"Memories," she agreed. "Vague as it may be, but it seems that we need to search for another clue in other rooms—"

Miku interrupted herself and froze. Rolve casted a wary glance but kept silent. The young woman than walked towards the opposite side of the room, where a hole was struck on the wall, the door was not attached to it anymore it would seem. Rolve followed her closely without a word. "It's leading here," Miku said, a bare whisper through her gritted teeth.

"This hallway leads to a wine storage," informed Rolve. "Underground," he added with a low voice.

"I don't like where this is going."

"Neither do I. But I thought that experience has told us many things about 'getting used' to these kinds of things."

Miku narrowed her eyes in both flickered anger and annoyance. But deep in her heart, she was thankful of the man's company; no matter how confident or cautious she may seem, there were always doubts and fears lingering deep within. And of course, she was also thankful of his sarcastic comments for the first time in her short encounter with him, for it made her able to forget her fears and kept herself to her angry self. Walking through the dark hallway and staircase leading downstairs, the two quickly found themselves in a large room where wine shelves were arranged neatly in lines. Well, that was what it should had been before the calamity. Now, only chunks of wooden shelves and broken wine bottles and drums—accompanied by a sharp scent of alcohol—were laid before them. The room had only two ventilations which supplied them with sunlight from outside, making it dark and murky place all the more the main hall had been. Miku almost slipped when her boots came upon a slippery liquid, wine it seemed. Rolve caught her by her right arm in time, preventing her from collapsing onto a mud of wine and rubbles.

"Thank you," she breathed, shoving away his hand gently.

Rolve shrugged. "Simply doing my job. Believe me, you don't want to get wet with whatever substance that's not water," he muttered darkly.

She hid a smile, wondering if he had talked from personal experience. Sensing something, she stopped and stood before a broken wine shelf. Closing her eyes, she tried to analyze her surroundings, trying to get in touch with any string that might be a clue in this case. Slowly, her breath slowed down, and so was her other senses. Rolve's breath was no longer audible now, and so was the cold air that wrapped her before. All she could sense was through her sixth channel: her special sense. _Focus._

Slowly, she began to feel what she had been searching for. Bizarre images, unseen threads that glowed within the darkness, and finally, the resonance occurred. Unknown memories and emotions flowed within her head, as if she was a computer downloading some unknown data from the server. Every bit of what she saw and felt was recorded in the air, and leaving the only work to be done was selecting and downloading them. She had gone through this 'process' numerous of times back in both manors. Memories: which were she regretted to see and some that actually led her to find Kirie, were dancing in her mind like wild fire. Her mother's suicide, then a masked man holding a katana, followed by a little girl in traditional ritual attire of white and red—whispering her brother's name…

Miku shot her eyes open in shock, almost knocking herself off balance. Rolve, which was standing behind her, hurried off to her side and caught her arm. "I can't see them clearly," she admitted, one of her hands rubbed the other tiredly. Rolve waited for her to continue. "I could sense and see only some glimpses… But I'm not even sure whose sight or emotion was that."

"It's fine. Just tell me what you saw and felt."

"There were fear, anger and confusion… But like I said, I don't know whose emotions were they. But I did catch a glimpse of memory. It leads down there." She pointed the wooden floor with her finger.

Rolve's eyes darted from her to where her finger was pointing. He bent down to one knee and swept his hand gently on the floor, trying to sense anything below it. "This is the bottom level, no?"

Miku shook her head. "It was the strongest glimpse of sight I could get."

He tilted his head while giving the clue a thought. And then after a tense minute passed, he pressed his hand on the floor and closed his eyes. "Wind," he said after a while. "I can vaguely sense it, but it is no doubt that there is another level below us." Standing up again, he gestured Miku to step back with his hand's movement.

She stepped back and watched Rolve produce an object, which looked like a knife, from his belt and kneeled to the floor. Some twitching sound was audible when the knife sprung open from its folded state. She could saw it better now: it truly was a knife, no longer than the size of her lower arm, with a silver blade that shone upon the dim light that reached through the ventilation. Rolve carefully stabbed the blade into the floor and stood aside. Miku paid more attention as the long knife shone a dim light of purplish glow. On the other side, Rolve had walked off towards a crumbled wine shelf, his hand was moving alongside the corner of the wooden shelf. Miku realized then, that a purple string of light, was guiding him, moving slowly on embodied some objects as it danced. And that string stopped exactly in front of the Magi.

"There has to be some mechanism to enable access to the lower floor," he said without turning to Miku. "My guess is that mechanism was hidden behind this shelf."

Still wary and confused about what just happened, Miku whispered, "But the shelf is broken."

"True. And it only makes things harder than they already are." He moved to the side of the shelf, which was appeared to be in good condition. Gently pushing his fingers onto the surface of the wood, Rolve pushed forward. Some dark purple light appeared as he did so. And in another second, the broken shelf was moved—or rather, thrown—with a huge cracking sound and rested in the other side of the room. Dust and sprinkles of wine boomed from the impact. Miku shielded her face with both arms to prevent flying wood chunks from hitting her.

"Direct approach usually works the best," Rolve said simply as Miku walked to where he stood. And true enough, there was a dark, round object attached to the wall where the shelf stood before. Since the lighting on the room was minimal, Miku found it hard to identify the small object clearly. Was it a button? Or a tiny hole?

Pushing his hand gently to the object, Rolve managed to make it work with a faint clicking sound. He turned and spotted Miku's curious eyes glued on the thing he just touched. "It's called a 'key hole' in Magi's dictionary. It only resonates with people who had awaken to their extra senses like you and me. And it is interesting to know that the owner of this tavern is also a Magi."

Miku was about to utter more questions when a heavy, creaking sound startled her. And in mere seconds, the center of the room was not solid ground anymore. Dark hole which supplied them with another set of staircase appeared as the dust crumpled anywhere.

Rolve grabbed his knife from the floor he had left it before and walked to the newly appeared entrance. "Time to turn on the flashlight and begin the underground search. And oh, I hope you brought one since I don't need an extra light."

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><p><strong>AN: **Thank you for reading, guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

I'm not going to say much except for the fact that the story will now progress faster and deeper into the mistery. And yes, don't worry, our favorite weapon-the Camera Obscura-will soon make its first appearance in this fic! Used by our heroine, of course.

Last but not least, please do Reviews if you're interested! Revs are my source of energy in writing! XD


	9. Piece of the Truth

**8. Piece of the Truth**

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><p>"A secret passage?"<p>

Miku's voice echoed through a dark hallway. The only light that guided their steps and movements was shot from a little flash light attached at her cell phone. At first, their steps were audible on the wooden planks that seemed to be laid years ago. But after five minutes walking down the passage, the wooden floor was no more.

Rolve was walking in front of her; he didn't seem to be bothered by the lack of light though. Miku, on the other hand, could feel her chest was almost bursting out by the terror alone. Her resonance that was caused by her activated sixth sense clearly didn't approve her to be in this place. It warned her of dangers. It warned her of presence of the deceased. Which she found to be not in a happy state at the moment.

"It looks like this passage is connected to some cavern buried beneath the tavern," was Rolve's reply.

Her memories then travelled to reveal places she didn't even want to remember: a dark cave that was filled with ropes and malicious aura, underground shrine beneath the Manor of Sleep and a waterway leading to a secret chamber where a secret ritual used to be performed in…

She bit her tongue in a desperate attempt to calm herself. _Calm down. _Wasn't she told that the man before her was capable than countering malicious spirits? Then, she should be safe. If what he claimed to possess was true, of course.

She almost hit Rolve's back when the tall foreigner stopped suddenly before her. "What—"

"A gate," he cut her in.

Miku narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better sight at what was in front of them, but with no success. Just when she was about to lift her cell phone to adjust her flash light, she gasped. Rolve's eyes were fixed on her now. "What is it?" he asked, her voice barely a whisper. Miku stayed silent, her head made a slightest move to indicate that 'something' was coming to where they stood. Rolve nodded once and grabbed her hand that was holding the cell phone and turned it off slowly. His hand, she realized, was ice cold. Then after some seconds passed by, finally, a sound—which she identified to be footsteps dwindling in the cold ground—was audible.

Slowly, the sound was getting louder and louder, indicating that the walker was only a short walk away from where they stood. Rolve was not moving despite the situatuin. Miku couldn't see his face, but she presumed that he'd still wore his usual cold mask. She didn't dare to warn him, nor make any move. Although she barely trusted him, at least she knew her chances of getting away alive from this kind of place was almost zero without the special camera she had accustomed herself to.

"Leave."

The voice was ghostly and rough. It came from a figure standing just three steps from where Rolve stood; Miku was behind him and was on high alert. It did sound like a demonic one, but something was amiss... It was like...

"You're not dead, are you?" Rolve injected.

Miku jerked her head foward. Not dead...? What could he mean by that?

The shadowy figure moved a bit, causing a blur in Miku's enhanced vision. "You can tell... Impressive."

Rolve sheated his blade in one smooth move. His shoulders lowered a bit, his body relaxed. "You're a Trapped One, are you not?"

"I am."

Sensing no harmful intentions anymore, Miku spoke, "Who are you?" She couldn't see the figure, yet she was possitive that it had no physical body. Yet it was not dead.

"Trapped Ones," said Rolve, "are persons who get separated from their bodies. They're not dead. Their souls and minds are as active as ours, yet their bodies are no more." Before Miku could question further, Rolve went on. "Yes, practically it's really close to dying, but it is not. Ghosts are usually able to leave the realm of the living after their affairs here are settled, but the case is not that simple for them: they have nowhere to go. By any chance their bodies are still able to be 'hosted', they could be brought back to 'life' by some sort of technique."

Rolve then tapped Miku's shoulder, a sign for her to keep silent. Questions should wait, she thought. Yes, they would wait, but she wouldn't let him brush those questions off anymore. She was going to have him answer them, by whatever means possible. She had enough of his mockery and attitude.

"You're not normal humans," the figure whispered. It was a statement and not question. "What are creatures like you want in this place?"

"We want information about what recently happened here," answered Rolve, his voice was calm and sharp. Miku was aware that the figure would still be able to harm them if it wanted to. "It seemed that you were involved in the case. Please don't ask how I deduce that."

And came a snort. "You know nothing about me. You know nothing..."

"You're the owner of this tavern."

Miku's heart skipped a beat. How could he—

"As I said, don't ask me how I know of such things." Rolve then tapped his sheated blade. "I'm your kind. I can help you in exchange of some testimony—"

The figure jumped straight at Rolve before he could manage to finish his sentence. Miku jumped back in shock, her back hit the stone wall. Rolve was unmoving, though Miku could feel that the Trapped One was strangling him.

"What happened to you?" Rolve asked. He was calm, much to her and the attacker's surprise. "I can offer you some help," he continued. "But what kind of help I would offer depends on your cooperation too, Mister."

Miku heard him unsheating his blade slowly. It was a threat, she realized. Some seconds passed in grim silence, then the figure loosened his grip and stepped back. His movements seemed to show his insecurities and distrust. "Fair enough, young Magi. If you could help me, then it is a deal, then. But how can I know that I can trust you."

Even in the darkness, Miku knew that Rolve just shot a smile. Not a kind one, obviously. "First, I don't have any reason to eliminate you. Second, I'm your kind. Third, I need your cooperation. And fourth, you could have killed us. You can hide your presence as a Trapped Magi but you chose not to, taking the chance to gamble for your freedom and life. So to put it simply, we're in your debt."

"He _can _hide his presence?" Miku asked, betraying his earlier command to shut up. "Even from your senses?"

"Yes." His tone was a bit irritated, but she shoved it off. Her head was going to explode and there was no way she would wait patiently just to be fooled again. "A Trapped One can hide his presence as a creature that exist between this world and the Parameter Realm. They're not dead so they have no ties to the Realm of the Deceased. But at the same time, they are trapped in one zone of time and place. He can't possibily get out from this tavern."

"I go by the name Sekiya Mori," the Trapped One spoke. "But in our circle, I'm known as Four."

"This case is getting interesting," Rolve commented in a low voice. "Well, I'm not very pleased that we should meet in this kind of situation; I'd hoped I could learn a thing or two from you as a person who bears such a high rank. I'm Twelve, but please do call me Rolve."

Were Magus always go by numbers as identities? Miku bit her lower lip. There was so many things she didn't know about them, spare for the young man. But this was not the place to discuss such things, so she finally admitted defeat and chose to be silent, leaving the talk to Rolve.

"So, what happened here?"

The figure moved slightly. "The Fallen Ones attacked my tavern. I was fighting against them and called for help from the Japan branch. But suddenly, the signal was cut off, and the lights went out as well, worsening my position who're not as fit as in my younger days. And then, one of the Fallen extracted my soul from my body and threw me to this dungeon."

"Strange. Fallen Ones are not usually able to tdo such a thing."

"Indeed. But I noticed that they were imbued by a strange glowing thread of aura. I don't know what it is, but I do think that someone is behind their sudden attack."

Rolve fell silent for a moment. He then gestured towards the stone gate behind them. "What about this? What's behind this?"

"That I can't tell you just yet. I still don't trust you, boy."

A nice logic, Miku thought. But Rolve seemed unbothered.

"What is it that you want me to do for you then?"

Miku had guessed the answer. "Find my body. There's a possibility they haven't destroyed it since those Fallen Ones were not capable of staying in contact with our physical realm for a long time. My hope is that they'd ran out of time and was unable to do anything harmful to my body."

"There's always a chance," Rolve sighed. "But if there is really someone behind them... I can't guarantee anything."

"Find that person, then," Twelve, or Mori, hissed in irritation and anger. "At least I want to know what are his motives of destroying the peace and freedom I had worked so hard to attain."

* * *

><p>They had gone back to the upper ground and were now walking in the streets. Night had almost fallen, dropping the temperature even more. Miku and Rolve walked silently to where Rolve's car was parked.<p>

They had agreed to meet Mori's conditions to get some information from him. He was, after all, the tavern owner, the key person who probbably held the most important clue in this riddle. Rolve had sent a brief e-mail of report to the Doctor as soon as they were on the streets. Miku, on the other hand, had been patient enough to stay mute until he had finished his reporting duty to his so-called supervisor.

"Now," she said while walking hurriedly to keep her pace with the tall man, "I demand explanation."

"I will e-mail you later, I promise, but now—"

Miku had stopped walking. Rolve looked at her from his shoulder and turned around, sighing. "Don't be like a child now, Hinasaki—"

"I'm not your dog," she cut in. She didn't want to sound harsh and cold, but it was enough. She was quite tired being treated like a kid, or perhaps like a tool, by this arrogant man. "You can do things without me if you're not going to tell me what's going on. I may be only serve as your 'radar' here, but at least I'm involved in this case too. And I have the right to know what's happening and whom I can trust."

"I never expect you to trust me in the first place—"

"So leave everything at that, then." She was angry. Really angry. He was the first person who got on her nerves in just a few days since their first meeting. "I was willing to help because this case may involve other innocent people in the furure, and I want to prevent such terror from looming over this city... But I'm not your dog, nor your tool."

Some people who were walking on the streets had turned around now. They were mumbling while gazing at the pair—who was a strange one to begin with: a foreigner with a silver hair and a Japanese young woman who was more than a head shorter than her companion. Rolve shifted uncomfortably.

"Now you're attracting unnecessary attention—"

"So be it," she snapped, jerking her head and walked away from him, almost literally running.

Rolve was hesitant for a moment, but then chose to follow suit. "Listen," he said while grabbing her left arm when they had turned to a corner. Miku snapped it. "Listen!" Rolve raised his tone while re-grabbing her arm, this time though, with more force.

Miku shot a glare at him. Anger had taken over his usual calm tone when she spoke in a lower voice, "You told me that it was for the good of the people; it was to prevent such disaster from happening again. But I don't even know if you're even the right person to turn to in this case. In fact you could just be the one who're among the 'enemies'—"

At her surprise, Rolve's grab grew suddenly firmer on her arm, making her flinch. His blue eyes were flashing in fury and hatred. "I would never, ever, ally myself with the Fallen," he spat. "I would never ally myself with those who had killed my family."

It took some seconds for Miku to take in the new information, but when she was unsure just how to respond, Rolve released her arm and looked away, his face darkened and unreadable. "The more you know the more likely you'll be their next target," he said, almost like a whisper. "I was against the idea of you—or anyone—being involved in a case like this, but the higher-ups didn't bother. I'm a pawn, just like you. They have no need of my voice; they just need my strength. Yours too," he added after pausing for a while.

Miku stared at him, noticing how his emotion suddenly bursted out, breaking his shell of coldness and arrogance. It was the first time she saw him so alive with emotion, although it was fury and bitterness that had erupted.

Rolve shook his head and breathed deeply, one if his hand brushed his face, covering it from her sight. "What have I done, acting like this..." He quickly regained his composure and looked back at Miku, who was still staring blankly at him. His gaze was not his usual arrogant: rude and intimidating one. Dare she to say, it was even almost close 'soft' and 'tender', but she didn't want to believe what she just saw. 'Sad' then, was the appealing word. "It's never wise to have a commoner—a normal human," he quickly corrected himself, "like you in the case... And... And I'm sorry for that."

Miku followed his gaze to her left arm. Her right hand had unconcsciously moved to grab it softly, minimizing the pain she barely felt.

"I will talk to Ryoji-san about this," he said while turning around and walked on. "We will prepare for your resignment as soon as possible. This is the best we can—"

"No."

Rolve froze.

"No," Miku repeated. Although her composed demeanor had back, her soft voice was colored firm and unshaken.

Rolve turned around, only to find her walking past him as he was turning. "I'm already on this case." A subtle, confident smile was etched her lips. "A journalist never turns back from the case she's pursuing. That's what I learned from experience." She turned back to face Rolve, who was still standing with his eyes wide. "And if you refuse, I'll just work alone on the case."

Rolve exhaled deeply while walking to where she stood. It was not quite like his usual sighing; it felt as if it was filled with both defeat, amusement, and as strange as it may be, relief. "Stubborn as usual," he commented lightly. "Fine. You win, Princess."

His cold mask was no more by then.

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><p><strong>AN** : Huaaaa, sorry for the laaate, laaaaateee update... I was in hiatus for a year, but thanks God I'm writing again now... :')

The story is deepening now. Those who are worried that this fic will be OC-centered, I have good news: this chapter is just a neccessary stepping stone. The lead cast in this fic is Miku Hinasaki and not my OC-he's just there to 'tug' some things out of her.

So, we'll explore Miku's past, character and interest-as closely as possible to the ZERO script I've gathered from the game and websites!

Please do R&R. Your Reviews are my source of energy!


	10. Reminiscence

9.** Reminiscence**

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><p>It seemed a bit stupid when he thought of the possibilities again. He should had never accepted Ryoji's ideas to let her in on such a case. No, not when he'd been there at the council himself. But, on a second thought, they wouldn't even hear his voice were he to raise any objections: he's a pawn, a soldier whose strength was the only one thing that was acknowledged out of him. Rolve exhaled deeply, casting a gaze to a nearby window in his apartment. Night had fallen ever since he took a brief nap.<p>

Yesterday had been quite an experience. He didn't want to really acknowledge it, but that Hinasaki was really troubling him. At first, he had thought of her simply as a normal college student doing some investiation for the sake of her own passion and duty. But it turned out that there was more, she thought. He didn't know what drove her to go that far as to say those things after such an experience with a Trapped One.

"_I'm already on this case_," he remembered her stating her determination.

He had never seen someone so determined to solve a case with some Fallen Ones on the target list. Did she not know the danger they possessed? No, she had already known. She had seen it for herself: the tavern and the state the owner was left behind thereafter. She had also been there to experience the resonance herself... So why all the positive attitude? Why did he not object him and witdrawn from the case? Didn't she hate him—why she didn't drop the case then? Had she—

Forget it. Rolve shook his head. It had never been a good excercise to think about someone he barely knew.

Rolve sat on the edge of his bed, folding his hands and rested his head upon them. He should had never allowed it. He should just gone to the tavern all by himself.

At this rate, she was going to be involved further with the case, as well as with the Circle. And it had never been a good news to be related with those two. But should she chose to back down from the case now, he knew it would be almost impossible. She had seen too much. And Rolve was positive that her curiosity and ideals would keep her sniffing further—and without him around, she was definitely a vulnurable target.

Rolve had not talked with her today, but he knew of her 'supervision' during class. She watched him from afar. He had grown a bit weary and his mind on a blur, surely those were detectable. Yet he'd avoided her for the day; he didn't want her to see him in such a messed up condition.

But no, he would never let anyone fall for the Circle's tricky play again. He would find a way to get her out of this game. Sooner, or later.

Just when he was about to contact Ryoji, his cell phone rang. It was from her.

_Miku Hinasaki_, he mused while smiling inwardly. _Such a bother you are._

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure if she should even phone him. But after all that happened, it seemed a bit cold not to contact him when they were not working together. Though she still doubted that it was genuine emotions that had flooded during their last encounter, she was beginning to question his sardonic and cold behaviour that was especially directed toward her.<p>

He was like her. He was like her old self. That much was clear from his gaze alone.

"Yes?" the familiar voice rang. His voice sounded sleepy and a bit weary, she noted.

"Shiki-san," she began. Suddenly, mixed emotion and doubts clouded her mind, scattering the words she was just about to say. Was it the right decision to call the magi? What if he was actually mad at her? Or worse, would he simply brush her coldly like usual?

"Staying up late, Hinasaki?" came the reply in a sigh. The young half's tone was colored with exhaustion, and yet, there was amusement in it.

"You... looked unwell today." Stupid. How could she state such a meaningless comment after calling him in such a late hour?

"I did? Well, obviously it was because of a certain someone who had pushed me to the extent of my abilities to remain calm yesterday."

It was not entirely a mistake to phone him, then. He was still his usual, sarcastic self, she realized, but his tone was not so harsh and mocking as it had been before. It was as if... his defenses were lower this time. And thinner. Miku smiled to herself, letting go a silent sigh.

"Well, glad to know you still have the energy to complain."

"Now, Hinasaki, if you're just checking on me..." His voice trailed off. "Why, thanks. But I'm fine and I'll see you again tomorrow after class at the usual park."

"All right. See you tomorrow, then."

"...Yeah."

It was as if as a great measure of heavy burden had just been removed from her shoulders. He didn't resent her and that was all that matters for now.

Miku had been feeling guilty over his overreaction to her selfish reasoning at that afternoon. Of all people, she should had known that every person had some scars that were deeply cut it was almost impossible to heal. And then there she was, regretting her past action and her outburst of emotion.

But what had been done was done. She couldn't undo the past, she could only try to make up for it. She knew exactly how he felt—losing loved ones, not to say family, in this matter—to some abnormality that most people would laugh at. She didn't dare to say that she'd suffered worse, but she _had_ had the grasp of the remorse. When Yuu Asou took her in to stay with him and Rei, Miku was not in a better state than the young man was. She had succumbed into the world of blurry imaginations and insanity, often dazzling off and stayed mute for a whole day. Shocked, tormented and at loss, she would had never survived the darkness if it weren't for the kind and caring couple who tended to her until she started to put her past behind.

It was not until the Manor of Sleep incident that she found that her fear had become reality: she couldn't possibly run from her past. It would still be a part of her. Leave it unsettled, and it would run to pull her from the world she had grown to love. It was like a beast, she came into conclusion: no matter how scary it was, it was still a part of her. Treat it well and it'd be nice. Ignore it and it would come and haunt her for food and affection.

At the reminiscense, Miku gave up on thinking. She changed into her usual sleeping attire and took off her comb. A small mirror on her desk caught her attention and she blinked to her relfection before turning off the lamp beside it.

Her face reflection, compared to the one shown in a photo with her older brother, was more matured and slightly sharper in features. Her dark brown eyes had this gleam that reflected her indepth thoughts and character, completely different from the ones from the photo, which shown a bright, yet insecure flash like a motherless kitten would.

It was because of him, she realized. Because of Mafuyu. Mafuyu Hinasaki.

Before he went off to begin his search of his mentor, whom Miku recalled to be Junsei Takamine, Mafuyu was her only world. She had never really talked to other people, not to mention about her power and secrets. He was the one she could completely trust. She knew he'd never betray her feelings, she knew he had also suffered from what she'd been through... But the thought of the Rope Priestess soon crushed that once so sweet reality of the siblinghood. Mafuyu traded his life—and possibly his sister, too—in exchange of an assured peace: he'd chosen to stay behind and guard the Hell Gate with the Rope Priestess, Kirie.

Kirie. That name still resounded within her soul.

She once was angry at her for stealing her brother away, taking her last, remaining loved one. But after the second horror in the Manor of Sleep, she realized that it was only an attempt to blame a third party for her own suffering and scars. She knew that the woman had been a victim, too; a victim to the power cursed and a fate destinied to falter into nothingness. Whenever she thought about her this way, she couldn't help but sympathize. She was like her. Much like her. Both possessed same power, both lost their loved ones, both were isolated from the world because of some unwanted responsibility. But still, at the peak of that all, Mafuyu chose to stay with her.

He had left her alone.

Yes, in order to keep the Hellish creatures and calamity away. In order to keep Kirie 'safe'. In order to keep her and other people from the malice.

And still, the hole was still there: he had left her.

It was a simple truth. And she knew she was being childish and egoist if she were to hope that her brother would always stay by her side for eternity. No one could forever go on living without being left behind by their love ones. In one way of another, every human would eventually die, and thus, leaving memories and scars to whom they called friends and families.

Miku closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Since when she had—

The answer immediately occured before she even finished the question: _him_.

Seeing him in his helpless, angry state tugged something inside her heart. He was a kindered soul. Although she hadn't dared to ask further about the half's background, she had finally watched his walls of iron defense crashing down bit by bit. He was still wounded and shaken, his eyes told her that much, yet he had not let it out.

_I was lucky_, she mused, smiling darkly. She had Rei, the Amakura family, and Yuuka. But what about him, then? He said that relating to the Circle was a dangerous thing, did it mean that he had never trusted them—his own organization?

And what was she _thinking_ now, questioning such things in the middle of a night? The fact that she barely knew him hadn't changed, so why all the sympathetic thoughts and curiosity? Maybe his defenses had begun to lower, but he was still the same person who dragged all into this new case. And he was still the same Shikigane that had almost made her explode out of contained anger and bewilderment.

No. She wouldn't trust him yet. At least not for now. Not until she knew him and the case better.

"Bed time, Ruri," she said to the black cat. It whimpered and slowly walked and approaced her legs. Stroking the cat, she murmurred a 'good night' and covered herself with a blanket.

* * *

><p>"I've talked to Ryoji-san about the case further."<p>

The two were on their way to an abandoned site mentioned by their supervisor, the doctor. Rolve seemed to had explained what happened back at the tavern's underground passage—minus their little 'argument'—and asked the older man for any lead. It was not long before he produced a buntle of old documents from one of his shelves which had 'Unused' stamp on the leather file cover. After waiting for him to search through the old papers for some minutes, he finally offered one to them, stating that it contained some data about some long-gone victims of the Fallen Ones in Japan many years ago.

After examining the yellowing paper, they had found a correlational between the half of the victims' names enlisted on it: they had, in some point, came in contact with objects that were—much to the three's suspicion—contained some spiritual attributes. _"It was first unknown to us that these objects are of importance,"_ Ryoji had explained this morning. _"True, they are rare, these objects... But still, their existence hasn't proved to be so vital that it can cause a massacre this big."_

_They're wrong_, Miku bitterly thought. They just didn't know yet of what she had been through: so many deaths had occured just because the existence of those very objects. And also, it was because of their existence she had managed to survive the terror.

"Are you sure they're related to this abandoned site he mentioned?" asked Miku. They had passed through the highway and entered a quiet residental area with fewer cars and people about on the sides of the narrowing street. It was quite a sunny afternoon, compared to this recent gloomy week.

As for what she feared the most, although they were on their job now, Miku had to thank the fact that Rolve did not distance himself further. They had talked about small things on the car, mostly about class and the case they were on, and it was some remarkable progress compared to when the tension between the two had risen in such escalation. In fact, Rolve seemed to be more relaxed than before. Sure, he was still cautious and a teaser—often throwing sarcastic comments and questions, still—but Miku hadn't grasped any kind of malice nor resentment from him now. It was almost like he was just... himself.

The barrier was still there, she knew. But she hadn't lowered her guard around him either. They may be partners on this job, or even, dare she to say, friends, now... But still, there were still too much mystery concerning the half.

Rolve nodded at her question. "We can trust the doctor's instructions and information; _we_, too, have many intels working on data-gathering on this case, you know. And according him, there has to be a little town here somewhere."

The car made a turn to the left, leading the two into a narrowing way surrounded with trees. It was to be expected, Miku mused, since the 'site' Ryoji had mentioned was supposed to be located somewhere around the valley.

After around half an hour of driving, finally Rolve turned off the engine in front of what seemed to be an abandoned mining site. A cave, to be exact. Its location was quite deep in the woods, they had to take some narrow roads. But the map given to them by the doctor finally proved useful when they then spotted some branching roads from where they were.

"This is it," commented Rolve as they got out from the black sedan.

The entrance was sealed with some ropes and chains, but no formal seals nor the police's had been there. Maybe it was because it had been closed down for so long that the officials didn't bother to permanently shut it? Miku couldn't possibly guess. But whatever it was, she was glad that the wooden gates and small camps around it were deserted, which meant that they'd be granted an easy access.

"Let's get inside," said Rolve while walking. "Oh, and as usual, please do your best to stay alive. You can already feel them lurking about the area, no?"

Miku nodded and sighed inwardly. From experience, she didn't dare to hope they'd be getting an easy out anytime soon. Tightening her white jacket to whistand the cold breeze, the youngest Hinasaki followed after the magi.

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><p><strong>AN : **_I'm really sorry for the messy-written chapter. I was a bit confused on how to put all the pieces in my mind together into words, and so, this is the result... *sob_

_I promise I won't let the same mistake happen again. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. _

_Please do review if you're interested. It's been quite a while since I last wrote a fiction: I need lots of critiques and advices._


	11. Escape

**10. Escape**

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><p>There was a saying that life and death are one. Life is not light, nor death is the darkness. They are simply two different types of brush that one can use to express himself with.<p>

Miku almost agreed to the philosophy once she realized that she was unable to move. There was only unlimited darkness and emptyness that engulfed her. And she was conscious.

It was the dream.

Again.

Yes, it was inmistakably the dream where she was forced to witness blurry visions and rumbling, eerie voices without the strength to even move a finger. It was worse than the tattoed curse since she felt as if she was in no position to even defend herself from whatever dangers that await her in the realm of darkness.

Then it began.

An image jumped out from the darkness: an image of a familiar little girl clothed in white, sleeveless garment, painting on a canvas. Compared to a series of visions she had seen before in the dream, this one was of a far greater quality. She almost even felt like she was there, in the very room where the girl was, although still couldn't move her body nor felt her own presence. Miku couldn't grasp the image on the canvas, but when she turned around , she could finally see her face clearly. The girl had a complexion of a Caucasian and an Asian, with blonde hair framing her pretty face. Her green eyes gleamed brightly at her as she smiled.

_Can she see me...?_

But the thought quickly dissolved as a hooded figure, presumably a man, walked _passed _through her. She was invincible, she abruptly thought. Yes. It seemed that she was only a mere witness to whatever her dream wanted to show her.

"_Look!" _said the girl happily, waving one hand which was still holding a brush at her painting.

The man pulled off his hood, revealing a whitish blond hair that was all too familiar to Miku. And when he bent to one knee and tilted his head to one side, it was clear that he was—

_Him!_

"_Is this me?" _asked Rolve, his voice was colored with amusement devoid of sarcasm. He then smiled. A genuine one. It made him look even more foreign to Miku.

_Wait... Why would he appear in here?_

"_It's not finished yet," _said the girl. _"Will you stand there so I can finish the face?"_

_What is this? _she thought to herself, bewildered at the event before her. _Is this... the same dream as...?_

Rolve looked at the girl and shook his head slowly. _"Later, little princess. I come to get you; your uncle wants to see you." _He smiled apologetically as he stood and then added, _"We can continue this after we see him."_

The girl looked up to Rolve and frowned at him, as if measuring his words with care. _"Promise?" _

"_Promise."_

The scene altered. A flash of dark red erased it completely from her vision, and another scene was played.

"_I_ p_romise," _said a man, whose back was facing Miku, sternly.

She was standing behind a man whose face she couldn't see. The surrounding was not clear as they both were standing in a dark hallway. Realizing that blood was everywhere, Miku almost gasped. There were lifeless bodies around her—and the man.

The man then spoke again in a low voice. _"I now take a vow to become a servant of the Circle. Let my life be used to honour the deceased and protect the living."_

The vision ended after that, but the dream hadn't.

There were series of shouts and screams becoming louder and louder. Fire flickered haphazardly in her eyes, blurry images struck her mind as cold feelings made her mind almost blank. After some seconds, a pair of cold hands appeared almost all too quickly and seized her neck, choking every bit of life out of her.

_No_, she weakly thought as the hands pressed tighter on her flesh.

_No..._

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><p>Miku shot her eyes open, her mouth gaping for fresh air. Her head hit something soft, and hard at the same time, when she rose up to a sitting position.<p>

"That was pretty admirable of you," said Rolve, whose back was inches from her nose, "to fall asleep in a place like this."

"What—" she began, but then shut her mouth abruptly when realization finally hit her. It was not the time to be consulting about strange dreams.

"What 'what'?" asked the Magi flatly, eyeing her.

Her hand moved quickly to her neck. "N-no. It's nothing." She shook her head with some difficulties, trying to fully regain her senses. Straightening up her position, she pulled herself away from Rolve, who was sitting close to her. Far too close, it seemed: their bodies were almost pressed against one another, which made her head hit his right shoulder the moment she made the sudden move. Miku suddenly felt like her claustrophobia struck her.

They were sitting were in a-far-too-small-cave-for-two-people inside the abandoned site they'd agreed to visit to this morning. After an hour of searching in the darkness for a tiniest clue of whatever thing that may shed light to the case of the Fallen Ones' appearance, they were practically chased by one of those fearsome spirits. There had been some vengeful ghosts trying to halt their advance, but Rolve had dismissed all of them by using his weapon. One good thing about the strange dagger, Miku thought, that it didn't need films or any means of 'bullets' to function. Now if only it didn't absorb the user's stamina, it would certainly make a perfect weapon against those malicious beings.

Although it was no surprise that there should be at least one of those Fallen beings lurking here, it did cause them some trouble when it cushed an old elevator when it emerged to their dimension. The old elevator was their only way to go deeper into the site, and with it crushed, they had no choice but to outrun the beastly spirit. Rolve's stamina was depleting more and more quickly when pushing it aside from their line of escape, and then they chose one alternative he suggested when finding that the Fallen One had a poor sight: hide.

The energy that the weapon absorbed to fuel the stone could be disperesed into a thin layer of barrier. Miku was not sure how it work, but seing how the thin layer glowed in a purplish light like when the dagger's blade had been glowing when activated, she only presumed that the energy that once used to engulf the tip of the blade was now being umleashed to create a layer instead. Rolve told her that his energy would continue to deplete either way, since any spiritual use of the dagger would always strain his body, but it was far better than when it was used to battle a monstrous spirit of a Fallen One's size. So their strategy was to find a place where Rolve's tiny barrier could protect them from being detected by spiritual beings, and wait patiently for the Fallen One to move away from the path to the site's entrance. So a small cave answered their fragile plea.

"Has it moved yet?" Miku managed to ask in a whisper, fully aware of the fact that Rolve's breathing had become more irregular when they'd first found the shelter. She could not see his face in the darkness, but she knew that if she could, he'd look as pale as a ghost. His stamina and vitality would not last much longer should they keep waiting here.

"A bit. But not too far. It's still searching for us."

Miku shifted a bit, trying to make herself as comfortable as she could in such a small hole. Even without Rolve pressing against her side, she already found the cave to be suffocating enough. And the proximity they were in was something else: she could hear his breathing, felt his every move, and even smell his scent. This was not good. It was not the time to be uncomfortable, and she was glad that with the position he was in now, he could never see her face-which as she thought by the warm feeling rising up to her cheeks, should be colored in purplish red. Well, the lack of oxygen was another thing, to be noted.

She checked her wristwatch. "It's been almost an hour now," she said. "Shiki-san, is this Fallen One move according to instincts, just like animals do?"

Rolve tilted his head without looking at her. "I guess it is. There are many types of them, and each of them operates and functions differently. I have encountered of what seemed to be a blind one, which moved by its sense of hearing alone. Some of my colleagues have reported many different cases. I haven't got the time to analyze it further since I wasn't in my fittest condition the moment we encountered it, but my guess is this one too moved only by hearing and reading of our presence."

She wondered for a while. It was true that the Fallen One had ambushed them by bashing its many arms against a wall—and destroying the elevator's machinery nearby—when Rolve and Miku were walking there. And when they ran, it too followed them without many difficulties. She knew she'd been a hindrance to Rolve, who had to grip her hand all the time since some of the beings there were sensitive to light. It meant that she was also literally decreasing his speed and restricting his movements when battling the unclean souls. Minus her sixth sense, Miku Hinasaki was nothing than a heavy, useless load the Magi had to carry all around. Had he acted alone, she was sure the young man could easily get through all of this trouble.

Miku untangled her hair by removing her comb. Long strands fell astray on coated slim shoulders. "I have a plan."

"You want to distract it with that thing?" asked Rolve, almost breathless.

"Not merely by throwing this." Rolve waited, so she continued in a low voice. "My sixth sense is able to detect spiritual beings' movements for a limited amount of time. Not as battle refined as you are, but it does able to feel their movement. When I'm consciously focusing all of my senses to feel things through the sixth channel, I usually get some visions and able to feel things that are amiss. But in return, it'd make me more fragile to any resonance—including their presence and attacks..."

"So you're saying you want to inverse the way your sixth sense works?"

"In a sense, yes. I plan to inject my spiritual energy into this item, although I'd need your help since I have never done it before."

"It's futile," said Rolve while shooking his head. "Not every item cannot contain spiritual energy, spare for my dagger's stone and—" he interrupted himself. There was a pause, and then a sigh. "So _that's_ your plan..."

"Yes. You do have a spare stone, don't you?"

"Heh... I do. Fine, let's get it done, then." Slowly turning around, Rolve faced Miku and held out his dagger. "The moment the stone is removed from the dagger, the layer will also vanish, revealing us to the lurking shadows and the Fallen. A stone alone without a container is like a receiver without an output. How will you attach the stone to that item?"

Miku moved a hand to her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. She untangled the strap attached on her cell and used tested the rubber band. She carefully ripped her comb so it may attach well into the stone once tangled by the strap. "This will be enough, I think."

Rolve eyed her for some seconds before inhaling deeply. "Based on rough calculation alone, we would only have a minute to rip the stone from my dagger and inject it with your spiritual energy." Even in the dark, Miku knew that his eyes narrowed cautiously. "And I warn you: it is not a pleasant thing to do, especially if this is your first try. You may even faint as soon as the proccess is complete."

"I'll try not to."

There was a silence between the two. "Fine, we'll go by your plan," Rolve finally muttered darkly. "Listen carefully and do as I say..."

He then taught Miku the basics of transferring raw spiritual energy to the stone. It was not as hard or complicated as Miku'd thought before, but she was not going to underastimate it either. She rehearsed some objects she'd found before in her previous 'adventures' that were also capable of containing spiritual energy: a mirror, sacred stones, crests and even masks. She had never understood the way they'd worked before, as to why they could trigger her sixth sense and cause a resonance, but now she finally able to grasp a little on the mechanism. In sum, she just had to focus on using _only _her sixth sense, her spiritual gate of senses, to channel her own energy—fuel for using her senses—to the stone and decide what impact it would give to its surrounding. The messages and voices contained in those objects she'd previously come in contact with should had also been powered in the same way.

The young magi then taught her to imagine the stone as a living being that was capable of 'eating' or 'absorbing' her energy on its own will, a way he'd guaranteed to make the proccess of transferring faster. Though he did warn her that it wouldn't make it less unpleasant and tiring: exactly the opposite, in fact. But they did not have much of a choice now. Either way, it was a race against time. And they had to win if they wanted to see the sun ever again.

Taking a deep breath, Rolve said, "Tell me immediately if you feel something wrong. Remember: shut your sixth sense as soon as the stone glows. Overpowering it may exhaust your body too much or even kill you."

She nodded, her jaw stiffened in anxiety and fear of failure. "All right."

"Relax," said Rolve as he tore out the stone out of the dagger's hilt. "Now!"

Miku closed her eyes and touched the stone. She'd imagined that it'd be cold, but she was wrong. The stone felt as if it had just been burnt, and she almost withdrew her hand when it came in contact with its elegant-sculpted surface. She focused her mind and all of her senses to just open one 'gate', her sixth sense. And within only three seconds, she felt like her energy and life were drained out of her body, flowing in a great measure to the burning stone.

"Stop!" said Rolve.

The flow of energy did not stop. It continued to rush out from her body, numbing her mind and senses in a matter of split second. She couldn't control it anymore. She was being sucked.

"Stop it, Hinasaki!"

She shot her eyes open. Her body felt numb, her vision was a blur. She had never felt this exhausted in her life before.

Rolve quickly took the strapped comb from her hand and attached the glowing stone onto it. He pulled Miku with all of his strength as he pushed himself off the cave. Rolve threw it and Miku could barely heard the sound of the item clanging on the ground. She almost could not stand up were it not for Rolve who lifted her in a hurry. "Move if you don't want to die!" she heard him shout with a hoarse voice.

Moving desperately on instinct and sheer determination not to collapse to the ground, Miku clutched her hands on Rolve's arm as she forced her body to move.

They ran as fast as their exhausted bodies could, ignoring some of the vengeful spirits in the way. Rolve was shielding his body with one arm, and Miku was basically shielded by Rolve who was some steps ahead of her. But she could not think of anything now. She could only push her body to move while her mind almost blacked out.

After what seemed to be eternity, they managed to spot the entrance to the outside world and threw themselves outside. Cold breeze and solid ground welcomed the two. And as if there was an invisible barrier, the spirits were all halted at the entrance. It was one rule of their realm: they could never get out from the place they were once trapped to death. Slowly, but reluctantly, they all fell back one by one into the darkness.

"Hinasaki," coughed Rolve, his voice was merely a dissorted whisper in Miku's ears.

Although aware that his arm was around her, she was unable to move. Unable to think. Unable to speak. She just lay there on the ground without moving while staring blankly.

The transfer of energy was a success, but as Rolve had cautioned her before, it strained her body too much since she had not been able to control the amount of energy transferred. Miku felt Rolve's cold hands lifting her to his shoulder and his staggered steps. But afterwards, everything was pitch black.

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><p><strong><em>AN : _**_Starting from the next chapter, I will make each chapter longer than I've previously written. (I normally wrote 2500+ words / chapter for this fiction). So stay tuned. And yes, the story is moving yet to another arc._

_Your Reviews are very much appreciated!_


	12. Uncertainties

**11. Uncertainties**

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><p>Miku opened her eyes slowly. Dim light from the sun that entered through a large window at the side of her room welcomed her. She tried to get up slowly, and almost failed when she realized that her muscles were still way too weak to support her weight. Wait... Something was amiss. Where was she? It was not clearly her room, nor it looked like a hospital. Her hazy mind then recalled of the event that took place before she'd blacked out.<p>

That magi! Hadn't he sustained every damage when they were on running to the entrance? Where was he—?

Her head immediately ached a bit, reminding her that her vision was still blurry from the effect of her transfer of spiritual energy. Miku blinked several times to adjust her vision the light, and fought down a shriek when there was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me." It was not Rolve.

The door creaked open, and a familiar figure stepped into the room. It was Ryoji, Rolve's supervisor in Japan. The warm and polite middle aged man was not wearing his usual white coat, and was dressed casually instead. He smiled when Miku blinked at him. "You've been sleeping for almost twenty two hours," he said lightly.

Miku tried to pull her body into a sitting position on her bed. She had to move real slow since her body almost felt like it'd ben electrified. "Where am I?" she managed to speak in a weak, hoarse voice. She cleared her throat and repeated the question once again. Louder and clearer this time. "Where am I?"

Ryoji grabbed a seat and pulled near to her bed, his back against the opened window. "Some inn I've found when travelling here years ago. It's located on the side of the valley not so far from the abandoned site you've visited. I brought you and Rolve here since it was way better than getting you two hospitalized. Avoiding unneccessary suspicion," he added with a grin.

"Shiki-san..." her voice weakly trailed off.

"Oh, he still needs some rest now," said Ryoji calmly. "You should worry about yourself more. Rolve hasn't told me the details of events yet, but I figure that your state now is caused by a powerful resonance or some sort. Oh, I'm sorry, how thoughtless of me," he quickly added when seing Miku's difficulty in speaking. Grabbing a cup of water from a table nearby, the doctor quickly handed it over to Miku, who was beginning to cough.

She drank the warm water slowly, thankful that at least she felt some mud that'd stuck on her dry throat finally cleared out. "Thank you," she murmured.

Ryoji gave a shrug. "You're welcome. By the way, Hinasaki-san, I've already heard of what'd happened yesterday from Rolve, although he could only maintain his consciousness for around five minutes before completely fell asleep again." His expression darkened and became more serious. "Maybe Rolve has already told you this, but aiding our cause in a case like this has its risks. You must be aware now that this is not a job anyone with extraordinary spiritual power could apply for. One mistake, and it may cause death, or even worse, ruin your whole life." She patiently waited for the man to resume his speech. Ryoji eyed her for some seconds without saying anything, as if awaiting her to react. "After talking for several times with Rolve," he continued, "we've found a way to remove you from this case without arousing the client's or our Circle's suspicion."

She had guessed the possibility of this talk coming up again. Maybe Rolve was indeed a great actor, but he could never fool her. He always had this... look of anxiety whenever she was around. He had covered it with a mask of sarcasm, but unfortunately, Miku was not someone he could hope to fall into his play. She had, after all, spent countless of years putting various of masks to hide her sixth sense, fears and insecurities from people around her—including her housemates and close friends—though of course by a different kind of approach. And she had succeeded in doing so.

"So," she began, "you and Rolve want me to step off from this case?"

Ryoji shifted uncomforably on his seat. "Basically, yes. You will still be paid for all the dangerous works you've done in this one month, and then we shall cut all ties with you..."

"I refuse."

There was a pause. "Listen, Hinasaki-san," he said softly. "This is not a game. It is a dangerous work that is full of unknown risks. You've seen what kind of creature the Fallen Ones are, and believe me, you will encounter even a greater threat than—"

"I refuse to back down from this case," she interrupted him. Although her voice was soft, it didn't lack any determination. "If there is something I can do to help, I want to."

Sighing heavily, he ran a hand through his gray hair. "Rolve was right... Looks do deceive, I guess." Smiling at Miku's raised eyebrow, the doctor chukled. "He said that despite your looks, your head is made of solid stone."

If she were to react as a person she'd been before meeting the young half, she'd be, at least, tickled in annoyance from the remark. But meeting him had changed her world and herself. So, she simply smiled calmly instead. "And despite his looks, he is quite soft on the inside, isn't he?"

Ryoji laughed. "You're quite sharp and witty for a young lady, aren't you. Now I can see why Rolve is so troubled and restless lately—dealing with someone so stubborn like you sure is a change of pace for him. And do not take me wrong, it is a compliment," he added with a playful smile.

"Don't worry. I've often received such remark."

"Ah, yes. You are studying journalism, aren't you?" asked Ryoji, as if he'd just remembered it. "I suspect that you've handled cases similar to these before, hmm? I wouldn't be surprised if you have—given your... unusual 'gift'."

Smile dissapeared from Miku's pale face, replaced by a tired, and distant look that came into her eyes. "I have," she admitted, a bit surprised that she'd let herself acknowledge the fact to someone she'd barely known. "And which is the very reason I can't trust Shiki-san just yet."

Her statement earned her a confused gaze from her companion. "And why is that?"

"Compared to him, I may be a novice in this field... But as for me, I thought I've seen and experienced enough for one's life—though of course, it was all just a wishful thinking of mine." A bitter smile came to her lips. "I know exactly what would one feel in front of creatures that don't belong in this realm. I know the fear. I know the temptation to succumb into madness. And I know how to conceal them all."

"Are you saying...?"

"He's hiding too many things from me." Her voice almost fell into a whisper. "I wouldn't be mad if he were to treat me as a mere tool... But he is, how should I put it, hiding things that I know I should've been told of."

At that, Ryoji fell completely silent. Miku glanced at him slowly, but when she didn't receive any reactions from her listener, she continued. "There was a time that I thought of myself as a burden to him. But then he continued to ask for my help. And there was a time when he could've just asked of my help, but he chose not to. I... don't understand him at all. And that's why I can't trust him."

"You don't need to trust him."

Miku threw a confused gaze at Ryoji, and was quite surprised to see how his warm, bright eyes had fallen to cold, expresionless ones. It was as if he'd just removed his mask of kindness and sincerecity that'd fooled her all along.

"You don't need his trust, and he doesn't need yours. As long as you cooperate and aim for the end of this malice, it is more than enough, Hinasaki-san," he explained, as if to a child. "Do remember that we are but pieces of a chess board, the means to win this 'war' against the darkness. As long as you do your job properly and do fulfill your missions, you should let nothing bother you. Rolve does the same by fulfilling his role as a magi and your guardian, doesn't he? We magi don't need trust nor sympathy. Your... thoughts and expectations would only get in the way of this kind of job," he added, this time, although softness had returned to his voice, there was still something that warn Miku not to question further.

She chose to stay silent then, and so did Ryoji. She'd never expected the seemingly kind and caring doctor would be able to advise such a thing. More so the cold look on his face.

But within seconds, Ryoji'd reverted back to his warm and gentle persona, brushing the coldness away as if he'd said nothing worthy of her concern. "Now, Hinasaki-san, I shall not bother you with this old man's ranting any longer. I will be returning to the hospital—there are so many things to attend to." He got up from his seat and was walking halfway to the door before he stopped. "And as for the job, I will consider it as a failure since you two were not able to retrieve any valuable information from the site." Then he walked out of the room.

Letting out the breath she'd been unconsciously holding, Miku leant back with a soft thump. Was she simply a catalyst in their game—whom they could replace once proved useless? Her heart and mind felt heavy: she was unsure whether she should be angry, confused, or relieved. They were using her, she knew. But truth to be told, she didn't mind: rather, she was even fond of the job. It was the first time she'd thought of it: in her life, never she'd been asked such a favor to save people by using her 'gift' before.

People feared what was different to them, and despised the minority who were born or gifted with these... foreign—or 'otherworldly', even—senses. Miku had been taught by her deceased mother that she should conceal her gift should she want to live and enjoy a normal life. It was quite funny, now that she thought of it, to think that so many people wanted to be 'special', while at the same time, those 'special' people ironically strived and longed to be normal.

And now, with this unexpected job turning her life around, she finally felt like she could play the role she'd been given since birth without the need of concealing it. She felt like she finally could do something for those around her with the gift she'd once despised so much. She felt... like it was something she'd meant to do.

Exhaustion attacked her body and mind, reminding her of what she'd passed through in order to be back to the world of the living. Her ears caught the faint sound of soft, refreshing raindrops that'd begun to fall outside.

Autumn rain.

A subtle smile bloomed on her lips. The rain certainly brought back memories of her younger days... She'd used to play outside when it rained lightly like this in the autumn. The joy of letting the soft, spattering drops of the rain and the gentle breeze that sang along with the falling drops caressing her skin were some amongst the few things she could genuinely embrace. How she wished she could be outside and taste the gift of nature herself; walking beneath the pouring rain and enjoying the sight of red and orange leaves dancing amidst the misty scenery of the valley.

She closed her eyes tiredly, one hand moved slowly to her neck.

There was still the dream. Yes, she still needed to solve the mysteries behind the strange occurance. And the bitter truth of their failure didn't brighten things either. There were also Ryoji's words of warning ringing in her mind, telling her not to step out of the boundaries.

But everything could wait. She could ponder all those things later.

For now, she only wished she could blend in with the calming darkness that crept into her vision. Letting her tired mind be soothed by the sound and scent of the light rain, Miku fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Rolve woke up only to find his body aching as if it had been tore apart, just to be reattached again. He growled as he tried to get up. The only comparison to the pain he was feeling now was when he'd been caught in an explosion on a failing mission a year ago, but the injuries were phsycal and not like this: it was as if his soul was the one which had been badly damaged. Then it emerged to his flesh and muscles.<p>

He sat on the edge of his bed and noticed that it had been raining while he was asleep: water drops were still wetting his window, and the dim, orange light carried by the setting sun was covered in gray due to the mist. Inhaling deeply, he fought down the temptation to slumber. He'd rested enough. He would only weaken his already aching muscles if he did not move.

Hinasaki.

_Damn_, he mentally cursed.

For a moment there, he'd forgotten about her at all. How were she doing, he wondered. Although she was an adept radar, Rolve could not had asked for more: she was still a normal human whose sense was a bit extraordinary compared to commoners. Well, she had indeed special powers, but her body was sure as weak and fragile to any spiritual beings as any untrained 'radar' was. He didn't know how she'd managed to whistand them up until now.

He stood up, feeling his muscles flexing in pain, and carried his numb feet to the door. Ryoji must had left a while ago, he noted, and he could only hope that the doctor hadn't told anything stupid to Miku. It was a tendency of him that Rolve despised the most: his mouth tended to baffle informations unneccessary to anyone he met. Carefree and talkative, people would say, but annoying and unpredictable in Rolve's eyes. He hadn't been very keen on the old man.

Opening the door leading to a hallway, he made a turn to his left and was about to knock on the door next to his before he decided against the idea. He chose to listen first—an old habit of his. There was almost no sound from inside apart from flipping curtains blown by the autumn wind. Then a soft 'thud'.

She was awake, then. Rolve knocked twice on the door.

"Yes?"

Her voice was too soft—weak—and that was to be expected.

"It's me." He almost cursed when he'd heard how his own voice sounded: Hoarse, and much like Miku's, weak.

"You can come in," was her reply. "The door's not locked."

He pushed it open in a slow motion, and stepped into the dimly lighted room. The room was a bit cold, filled with fresh air from outside, since the large window was opened wide. The young woman, clothed in white turtleneck and matching short pants, was sitting on the side, her dark hair flapping around her shoulders, framing her pretty East Asian face perfectly—a sight foreign to Rolve that he'd almost failed to recognized her since she'd never let her comb off her hair. He mused inwardly how women could easily change their appearances just by playing with their hair.

"It's quite surprising to see you're awake and well," he said carefully as he got near to her. "Most people usually unconscious for, at least, two days after their first transfer of spiritual energy." Not to mention _over_powering the item used as the medium. Her being able to survive was already a remarkable thing indeed.

She looked thoughtful for a second and then her dark eyes gleamed in a way Rolve'd not seen before. There were no resentmen nor annoyance in her gaze and he could not interpret what it meant. "And you look quite healthy for someone who has taken such damage from malicious spirits."

He raised an eyebrow, shrugging, and he leant back on the wall. His hands buried in his black jeans. "I'm used to this kind of job. It's part of the daily consequences."

"If you're checking up on me, I'm quite fine," she said flatly without eyeing him. Her gaze returned to the scenery behind the window, her expression unreadable.

"Good to know."

And for some seconds, they just stood there in silence, as if in lost of words. Miku had not been a very talkative person, but as far as he'd known her, she had been warm and also considerate as to never letting a situation gone in silent awkward. But she seemed different now. She was s more distant, quiet, and notably cold. Whether he'd done something wrong or she had just gone tired of playing the good, friendly girl...

Rolve sighed. He was not a man fond of social life to begin with, so this kind of situation demanding his speech or reaction to break the tension sure was torture. "Ryoji came to you today?" he guessed aloud.

"He did."

"That old man often speaks nonsense and blabbers about things in his own light. Whatever he tells you, don't mind it."

She turned her attention towards him, fixing him with a stare that was devoid of any feelings. If there was anything in her gaze, it was only a faint curiosity tickled by the sudden talk of the doctor. "How come you tell me of this?"

"I'm just being informative, that's all."

A move of her head towards the outside world sent her hair astray in a manner of elegance. "Fair enough."

He eyed her for some seconds, waiting for more words but to no avail. "Tell me if you feel anything strange—transfer of spiritual energy tends to bring some unwanted side effects to the body."

She simply nodded in reply.

Rolve hesitated for a moment. "I suggest you don't leave the room until tomorrow," he added, suspiciously eyeing her now.

Another nod. "I will not. Please don't worry."

He couldn't read her expression and that was frustating. Her demeanor and lack of speech didn't help him to understand the mood she was in either. Rolve was never used of people relying on him in conversations, so he chose to shrug it off. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he motioned his way to the door, planning to leave and rest as soon as possible. "Rest for now. I'll figure out a way to infiltrate the site in a better way."

There was no reply, so he didn't stop walking and made a way out of the cold room. Once the door was shut, he let out a heavy sigh he'd supressed since he was inside. How he wished it wouldn't budge him... Just what was wrong with her? But then again, Rolve reminded himself that people are just... people. They change, they lie and some of them are obviously good actors. He hadn't known her for more than a month, so he decided that it was futile to be worried of her change in her attitude.

For now, if he got any time worrying about his partner's psychological state and change of behaviour, then he'd better use it for framing some strategy to make up for the failed mission. His hirer and the Circle were not very keen on failures, after all.

Forcing his brain into gear, Rolve walked slowly to his room, his mind was already occupied in battle tactics and imaginaire maps of the area.


End file.
